•ase- 


E.  W.  HAUUDAY. 


\. 


E.  W.  HAMMED  AY, 

WAR 


REMINISCENCES 


BY  THE 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND, 


.RICHltCXNTX  VA. : 
1890. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  December  17, 1889, 

By  A.  MONTEIRO,  M.  D.,' 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C. 


PREFACE. 


These  papers  were  written  more  than  a  dozen  years  after  the 
last  eight  thousand  Confederate  muskets  had  been  stacked  at 
Appomattox.  It  waj  only  at  the  request  of  esteemed  army 
comrades,  whose  memory  seemed  to  linger  yet,  with  the  cold 
ashes  of  long  extinguished  camp-fires,  that  they  were  written 
at  all.  These  thoughts  were  transmitted  to  paper  under  the 
pressure  of  extraordinary  and  exacting  professional  labors. 
The  opinions  and  sentiments  expressed,  are  the  shadows  and 
reflections,  of  uncommon  events  and  startling  scenes.  Many 
years  afterwards,  an  accomplished  physician  and  an  estimable 
gentleman,  Dr.  J.  B.  Brewster,  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts, 
read  these  papers.  He  advised  and  recommended  their  publi- 
cation. Whilst  in  his  possession  for  examination,  he  submitted 
them  to  a  severe  test  ot  merit.  They  were  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  Rev.  Frederick  N.  Knapp,  of  Plymouth.  This  distin- 
guished scholar,  philanthropist,  and  patriot,  was  a  warm  per- 
sonal friend  of  the  illustrious  General  Grant  and  the  lamented 
Lincoln.  He  had  held  a  high  position  on  the  National  Sani- 
tary Commission  during  the  war.  It  would  not  b3  reasonable 
to  anticipate  for  the  literary  labors  of  a  partisan  Major  cf  med- 
icine, a  very  flattering  criticism  from  such  an  exalted  source. 

This  excellent  man,  noted  alike  for  high  literary  attain- 
ments, pure  patriotism,  and  exalted  Christian  virtues,  gener- 
ously tendered  his  valuable  services  "to  review  thcs3  papers  for 
the  press."  He  was  suddenly  removed  by  death,  and  called  to 
his  reward  before  he  completed  his  task.  His  valuable  sugges- 
tions, however,  have  been  carefully  observed.  Many  "  pas- 
sages which  might  have  given  pain  or  annoyance  "  have  been 
omitted. 

The  following  criticism  from  this  distinguished  son  of  Mas- 
sachusetts needs  no  extended  explanation  : 

"  PLYMOUTH,  MASS.,  July  16,  1888. 

"  My  Dear  Doctor — I  have  looked  over  with  care  "The  Rem- 
iniscences of  the  War  by  the  Surgeon,  of  Mosby's  Command." 


IV  PREFACE. 

They  are  of  great  interest  and  value.  They  should  be  published 
after  some  passages  which  might  give  pain  or  annoyance,  per- 
haps, are  cut  out. 

"  They  present  details  of  the  war  such  as  I  have  not  elsewhere 
seen.  They  evidently  are  an  honest  transcript  of  the  feelings 
and  impressions  of  a  clear-headed,  earnest  Confederate,  who 
was  by  Mosby's  side  during  those  most  trying  days,  including 
the  days  of  the  surrender.  The  generous  tone  in  which  the 
writer  gives  his  impressions  of  the  cordial  greeting  and  kind 
fellowship  of  the  Union  generals  at  the  time  of  the  surrender 
of  the  Confederate  army,  is  admirable.  So  also  is  the  graphic 
setting  forth,  previously,  of  what  a  Yankee  stood  for  in  the 
eyes  ot  the  .South.  The  tribute  to  Lincoln,  coming  from  the 
source  it  did,  is  full  of  pathos.  Whatever  is  exaggerated  or 
severe  in  any  of  these  papers  can  readily  be  accepted,  as  a  most 
natural  fruit  of  the  circumstances  under  which  these  expe- 
riences were  obtained.  What  is  caustic  in  tone  can  now  cause 
no  ill  feeling,  or  lead  to  reproach.  It  portrays  what  was,  not 
what  is.  We  want  facts  just  as  they  were.  These  papers 
admit  us  to  a  most  interesting  gallery,  where  we  may  sec  drawn, 
with  a  bold,  if  sometimes  dashing  hand,  pictures  of  the  war  as 
seen  by  a  Confederate  officer. 

"  I  would  with  pleasure,  if  it  should  be  desired,  assist  in 
reviewing  these  papers  for  the  press. 
"Yours,  truly, 

"FREDERICK  N.  KNAPP. 

"  Dr.  J.  E.  firewster." 

In  answer  to  a  letter  recalling  the  papers,  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  Knapp,  the  following  from  Dr.  Brewster  was  received  : 

"PLYMOUTH,  February  9,  1889. 
"Dr.  A.  Monteiro  : 

"Dear  Doctor — I  received  your  note  of  January  24th,  and 
thank  you  for  the  kindness  expressed.  In  your  brief  corres- 
pondence, you  have  read  correctly  the  character  of  Mr.  Knapp. 
He  was,  as  you  have  said,  "  a  noble  patriot  and  philanthro- 
pist." Our  whole  community  mourns  him  as  a  dear  friend 
gone.  I  return  the  papers,  as  you  requested,  and  regret  deeply 
that  the  opportunity  was  not  afforded  Mr.  Knapp  to  have 
assisted  you  in  their  publication.  Death  only  has  prevented. 
He  was  very  much  interested,  and  very  anxious  to  have  them 
given  to  the  public.  Now,  dear  doctor,  let  me  assure  you  of 
my  very  great  regard  for  yourself,  and  that  I  shall  ever  con- 
sider your  acquaintance  as  the  pleasantest  souvenir  of  my  trip 
South. 

"  Very  truly  yours, 

"J.  B.  BREWSTER." 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 
PREFACE  3 

CHAPTER  I. 

Siege  of  Petersburg— Wounded  men  transported  under  fire— Meeting  with 
Mosby— His  student  life  recalled— Visit  to  General  Lee's  headquar- 
ters—Kind reception  of  the  guerrilla  chief  and  the  surgeon  by  the 
great  chieftain— The  medical  director  of  the  army  surprised  by  the 
*ough  rider 9-17 

CHAPTER  II. 

,4e'/d  hospital  of  Wise's  brigade — Sad  parting  with  battle-scarred  vete- 
rans—Officers and  men  eager  to  join  the  partisan  command— The 
curiosities  of  medical  examining  boards — Nepotism l?-26 

CHAPTER  III. 

Colonel  Tabb's  marriage — General  H.  A.  Wise — His  consoling  prophecy — 
Black  flag  aLd  death  by  hanging— Boots  of  bull's  hide— Home  guards 
and  conscript  hunters— Halted  by  a  guard— The  guard  converted  to 
fjucrriUarism — Mosby  .wounded — Two  calves  and  an  ox-cart — A  close  . 
search 27-36 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  wounded  chief— His  description  of  the  capture  of  General  Stoughton — 
Jackson,  Lee,  Stuart  and  Mosby— Political  hypocrites,  knaves,  and 
slanderers— Injustice  of  pusillanimous  critics 3/-44 


CHAPTER  V. 

Inconsistencies  of  patriotism— Unreasonable  prices— Comparative  insan- 
ity— Mr.  Adam  Via  a  good  Samaritan — The  value  of  whiskey — 
Rated  much  higher  than  life  or  land— Ragged'  military  highwaymen — 
On  the  road 45-54 


Vl  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Page. 

Glen  Welby — Major  Richard  Henry  Carter — A  Utopian  Virginia  home — 
Adjutant  Willie  Mosby — His  account  of  partisan  lifa  and  the  hanging 
of  prisoners— Major  Blaizor's  expedition,  defeat  and  capture — Sam 
Alexander  as  a  comforter 55-G2 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Wounding  of  Lieutenant  Charles  E.  Grogan— Successful  psychological  sur- 
gery— Dr.  Nelson  of  the  Eighth  Illinois  regiment— His  kindness- 
Trap  doors — Yankee  raid — Dolly  Richards — His  costume— Success- 
ful pursuit  of  the  enemy— Drunken  cavalry — Recapture  of  prison- 
ers— Affinity  of  partisans  for  a  wagon  train— Raid  near  Alexandria — 
Capture  of  dead  negroes— Yankee  raid  on  Glen  Welby— "Grogan, 
they  have  got  me" 6.V78 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Escape  on  the  house  top— A  cold  roost— Willie  Mosby'ssad  predicament— 
His  earnest  prayers  and  vehement  oaths— "Ab  scrub  ofan'orsc" — 
Colonel  Welby  Carter  captured— Joe  B'.ackwell's  great  dread  of  Yan- 
kees—His  escape  in  light  attire— A  spirited  pursuit 74-84 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Rapid  firing — A  desperate  attempt  at  rescue— "May  the  Lord  have  mercy 
on  our  souls" — Our  escape  ascribed  to  prayer— The  missing  chief  of 
staff  returns— Hia  painful  plight  and  grotesqua  garb — The  ladles  retire 
from  the  spectral  figure— "Help  mo,  for  God's  sake,  and  give  me  a 
drink"  .  a> 


CHAPTER  X. 

Mosby'sreturntothe  command— His  civil  and  military  authority— Speedy 
trials— Promotion  for  merit — Incendiaries,  and  their  treatment— Mili- 
tary atrocities  in  Fauquier—  Arson 92-99 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Union  men  and  Quakers— Collecting  Confederate  taxes  in  Loudoun — 
Interesting  visit  to  the  leading  Union  Quaker's  farm — A  beautiful 
sufferer— Anger  and  orisons 100-111 


CONTENTS.  Vil 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Page. 

Betrayal  of  the  strangers  within  his  gates— A  large  cauldron  for  a  peculiar 
purpose—  Mosby's  successful  ambush— A  large  foroe  of  cavalry  and 
infantry  routed  by  a  small  number  of  partisans  at  Harmony  ....  112-121 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Difference  results  in  partisan  and  regular  engagements— A  new  com- 
pany of  rangers  formed  and  Baylor  made  captain — He  captures 
,    Keys's  Virginia  Yankees— First  news  of  the  fall  of  Richmond  and 

surrender  of  Lee— Mercenary  mortification  and  patriotic  anguish  .  .   122-131 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Othello's  occupation  gone— The  work  still  goes  bravely  on— A  sutler  cap- 
tured the  third  time— The  capture  of  a  well-dressed  man— His  sur- 
prise— His  pamphlet,  and  his  fear  on  death — Hern  makes  a  trade  with 
him— "Don't  keel  me ;  I  am  a  poor  sinner" 132-141 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Transcendental  audacity,  but  the  guerrilla  band  fights  on— The  chief 
excluded  from  parole— A  mission  sent  to  General  Hancock  at  Win- 
chester— Colonel  Chapman,  Willie  Mosby,  Captain  Frankland,  and 
the  surgeon  visit  the  enemy — News — Bad  News,  the  murder  of  Lin- 
coln, and  Mosby  suspected 142-150 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  flag  of  truce— Twelfth  Pennsylvania  cavalry  on  picket— "  Thank  Qod,  the 
•war  is  over" — General  Reno's  camp — Hancock's  magnanimous  recep- 
tion of  conquered  rebels— His  conduct,  appearance,  and  courtesy  .  151-160 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  negro  slave's  conception  of  a  Yankee— What  Yankees  stood  for  In  the 
eyes  of  ignorant  Southerners  in  remote  rural  districts— Mutual  aver- 
sions—Preternatural antipathy  of  sections— Promoted 161-167 


VliL  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Page. 

Result  of  visit  to  General  Hancock— A  cruel  order  countermanded— A 
mercenary  soldier  Inferior  to  an  honest  mule — Moral  attributes  of  the 
worshiper  and  the  worshiped 168-175 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Parting  with  General  Hancock— Colonel  Chapman  mistaken  for  Mosby— 
Curious  comments  of  the  meu  in  blue— Torbett's  military  director 
and  his  horses — Comments  on  military  medicine  men 176-185 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Two  rebels  dine  with  General  Torbett— Description  of  the  general  and  his 
surgeon— A  bad  apology  for  a  goad  dinner — Ohio  whiskey  and  its 
tranquilizing  eflect  on  the  Confederate  uervous  centres 186-192 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Return  from  Winchester— Willie  Mosby  and  Captain  Frankland  awaiting 
results— The  adjutant's  belligerent  mood— General  Reno's  laughing 
gas— A  large  cap  set  by  a  fascinating  grass  widow— Mosby's  reflective 
idiosyncrasies— Waveland  and  its  charming  people 193-200 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Mosby's  last  meeting  with  the  enemy  at  Millwood— Truce  expires— The 
final  rendezvous  at  Salem— Farewell  of  Mosby  to  his  men— The  cur- 
tain falls  upon  the  last  act— THE  END 201-208 


WAR  REMINISCENCES 


BY  THE 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBYJS  COMMAND, 


CHAPTER  I. 

r["J7HE  gallant  sons  of  the  South  had  gathered  around 
J^  their  last  stronghold — the  devoted  city  of  Peters- 
burg. The  long  drawn-out  legions  of  General  Grant, 
that  persistent,  stubborn  child  of  fortune,  encircled  the 
withered  remnant  of  what  was  once  the  invincible 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  (To  the  heart  of  a  Con- 
federate veteran,  what  memories  cluster  around  that 
name ! )  Like  a  starved  lion  within  the  inexorable 
folds  of  an  anaconda,  that  skeleton  band  of  heroes 
resisted  the  contracting  lines  of  overwhelming  num- 
bers with  a  heroism  and  courage  that  the  ghost  of 
Leonidas,  after  the  lapse  of  two  thousand  years,  might 
gracefully  inscribe  over  the  graves  of  his  three  hun- 
dred Spartans  that  defended  the  pass  at  Thermopylae. 
The  eventful  summer  of  1864  was  drawing  to  a 
gloomy  autumn,  with  the  fast  declining  hopes  of  all 


10  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

true  sons  of  the  South,  those  devoted  though  daring 
aud  doomed  followers  of  our  immortal  Lee.  A  three- 
months'  storm,  both  day  and  night,  of  shot  and  shell 
had  poured  into  the  Confederate  lines  an  incessant  fire 
that  would  convert  Milton's  description  of  hell  into  a 
paradise  when  compared  with  the  defences  of  Peters- 
burg in  the  summer  of  1864.  It  \vas  late  in  the 
month  of  October,  while  on  duty  as  surgeon  of  the 
Twenty-sixth  Virginia  regiment,  AVisc's  brigade,  I  was 
ordered  to  take  charge  of  a  train  of  wounded  men  and 
transport  them  to  the  hospitals  at  Richmond.  This 
mutilated  cargo  of  suffering  humanity  had  to  be 
removed  under  the  fire  of  the  enemy's  guns.  So 
closely  were  their  lines  drawn  upon  us  that  our  hos- 
pital flags  were  saluted  with  blazing  artillery  and  our 
trains  of  wounded  serenaded  with  screaming  shells. 
On  my  return  from  Richmond,  when  the  train  stopped 
at  Chester  for  fuel  and  water,  I  stepped  off  to  make  a 
hasty  call  on  two  old  comrades  at  that  post.  I  was 
accosted  by  a  gentleman  of  decidedly  striking  appear- 
ance. He  was  dressed  in  the  usual  Confederate  uni- 
form of  a  cavalry  officer  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 
There  was  something  about  this  officer's  appearance 
that  would  attract'the  attention  of  the  most  indifferent 
observer.  I  could  trace  something  like  a  familiar 
expression,  particularly  of  his  eyes,  recalling  scenes  or 
emotions  long  since  past,  but  not  entirely  forgotten. 
He  wore  a  rough,  unkempt  beard  that  imparted  a 
wild  yet  care-worn  expression  to  his  otherwise  ani- 
mated and  somewhat  fierce  physiognomy.  A  very 


S UROEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  1 1 

grim  smile,  that  recalled  reminiscences  of  a  long  past 
era,  and  a  warm-,  cordial  grasp _of  the  hand,  convinced 
me  at  once  that  I  had  accidentally  stumbled  upon  an 
old  acquaintance  in.  disguise. 

Fourteen  years  before  this  interview,  I  had  formed 
the  acquaintance  and  friendship  of  a  youthful  student 
at  the  University  of  Virginia.  At  that  time,  though 
my  junior  by  several  years,  he  had  already  made  a  con- 
siderable reputation  in  the-active  line  of  hostile  encoun- 
ters with  his  fellow-students  and  the  overbearing  civil 
authorities  of  the  town  of  Charlottesville.  As  we  were 
attached  to  different  schools  at  the  University,  we  were 
not  so  constantly  thrown  together  as  if  belonging  to  Ihe 
same  class.  My  young  friend  was  a  student  of  the 
law  class,  whilst  my  studies  were  those  of  the  medical 
department.  I  must  confess  that  there  was  nothing 
very  remarkable  about  this  young  limb  of  the  law  dur- 
ing his  school  days,  with  the  exception  of  a  well-marked 
ruling  passion  to  fight  on  all  possible  occasions.  The 
feud  ever  existing  between  the  University  students  and 
the  citizens  of  the  town  of  Charlottesville  was  once 
ignited  into  a  full  blaze  of  hostility  by  an  overbearing 
civil  officer,  with  a  sort  of  despotic  disposition,  attempt- 
ing to  arrest  my  young  friend  for  whistling  on  the  public 
highway.  The  town  constable,  in  the  role  of  petty  tyrant, 
issued  an  order  that  forbade  students  to  whistle  on  the 
streets  of  the  good  town  of  Charlottesville.  Like  most 
high-spirited  young  gentlemen,  my  youthful  friend 
claimed  the  right  to  whistle.  The  despotic  officer  was 
a  man  of  powerful  and  gigantic  physique,  and  attempted 


12  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

by  violent  means  to  execute  his  anti- whistling  decree. 
The  student,  though  in  stature  a  mere  child,  seized  the 
club  of  the  official  Goliah,  wrenched  it  from  his  hand, 
and  belabored  the  giant  until  he  yelled  aloud  for  help, 
to  save  him  from  the  ferocity  of  his  Lilliputian  adver- 
sary. The  unequal  contest  was  speedily  brought  to  a 
termination  by  the  united  force  of  the  corporate  author- 
ities, whose  combined  powers  succeeded  in  arresting  and 
imprisoning  this  diminutive,  though  daring  and  bellig- 
erent student.  A  long  and  tedious  trial  followed  this 
adventure,  and  my  young  friend  was  meantime  confined 
within  the  sombre  walls  of  that  dread  abode,  the  Albe- 
marle  jail.  I  visited  him  often  during  his  incarcera- 
tion, and  generally  found  him  busily  engaged  in  sound- 
ing the  unfathomable  mysteries  of  Coke,  Blackstonc, 
Vattel,  and  other  brain-defying  absurdities  of  legal  lore. 
I  yet  believe  that  he  acquired  more  real  knowledge  of 
that  mystical  nonsense  called  law  within  the  prisoner's 
cell  than  he  would  have  accomplished  within  the  more 
airy  and  pleasant  precincts  of  the  lecture-room.  Of  all 
my  University  friends  and  acquaintances  this  youthful 
prisoner  would  have  been  the  last  one  I  would  have 
selected  with  the  least  expectation  that  the  world  would 
ever  hear  from  him  again.  Many  bright  and  promis- 
ing sons  of  Virginia  matriculated  at  her  favorite  insti- 
tution of  learning  at  the  session  of  1S50-'51 ;  yet  no 
name  out  of  five  hundred  students  of  that  session  has 
been  more  admired  for  dauntless  courage,  or  absurdly 
damned  for  political  treason,  than  that  of  my  youthful 
and  belligerent  friend.  The  lapse  of  fourteen  years 


SURGEON  Of  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  13 

had  changed  the  smooth-faced,  beardless  boy  of  seven- 
teen summers  to  the  war-scarred  and  hard-featured  vet- 
eran soldier  of  thirty-one.  I  could  yet  trace  a  likeness 
of  the  boy  in  the  bronzed  face  of  the  grim-visaged 
leader.  "Have  you  forgotten  me?"  he  enquired,  with 
as  pleasant  smile  as  could  illumine  such  a  face  as  his. 
The  sound  of  his  voice  and  a  certain  manner  that  even 
the  rough  hand  of  time  a-nd  ghastly  scenes  of  carnage 
could  not  change,  brought  up  with  the  magic  of  thought 
a  living  picture  of  the  youthful  prisoner.  Time  had 
indeed  changed  the  strippling  student  of  law  into  the 
already  famous  partisan  leader  and  guerrilla  chief,  John 
S.  Mosby.  That  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  him  since 
our  college  days ;  and  I  now  discovered  that  the  name 
so  distinguished  for  daring,  intrepidity,  cunning,  and 
dauntless  courage  belonged  to  the  insignificant  boy  who 
was  arrested  and  tried  for  beating  old  George  Slaughter, 
the  gigantic  town  constable  of  Charlottesville,  with  his 
own  club.  The  partisan  chief  informed  me  that  he 
was  then  on  his  way  to  General  Lee's  headquarters  with 
important  information  ;  that  he  was  anxious  to  return 
to  his  command  with  as  little  delay  as  possible,  and 
asked  me  if  I  would  be  willing  to  go  up  and  act  as  sur- 
geon of  his  battalion.  If  I  would  consent,  he  proposed 
to  go  with  me  to  the  army  headquarters  and  make  all 
necessary  arrangements  for  my  assignment.  I  was  glad 
of  an  opportunity  to  satisfy  a  very  reasonable  curiosity 
in  regard  to  that  peculiar  mode  of  warfare  and  the 
causes  of  such  extraordinary  military  success  as  my 
friend  had  accomplished.  I  at  once  consented  to  serve 


14  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

him  as  surgeon.  With  a  painful  experience  of  military 
red  tape,  running  through  a  period  of  three  years  in  the 
field,  I  had  strong  reasons  to  doubt  the  ability  of  Col- 
onel Mosby,  or  any  other  man,  to  overcome  the  Rip  Van 
Winkle  tendency  of  chronic  habit.  I  had  on  more  than 
one  occasion  lost  many  months  in  consummating  what 
common  sense,  without  red  tape,  could  have  accom- 
plished in  as  many  hours.  He  who  has  passed  through 
the  circumlocution  offices  of  the  medical,  quartermas- 
ter, or  commissary  departments  of  an  army,  will  never 
forget  his  disappointments  and  his  acute  disgust  for 
official  authority,  engendered  by  a  uniform  failure  to 
accomplish  the  smallest  object  with  the  most  lavish 
expenditure  of  time. 

With  a  strong  doubt  of  Colonel  Mosby 's  ability  to  have 
me  transferred  to  the  partisan  battalion,  I  yci  hoped 
for  his  success.  We  proceeded  by  the  train  to  Peters- 
burg. When  we  arrived  at  my  hospital,  above  the  city} 
I  ordered  my  horse  to  be  saddled  for  Colonel  Mosby, bor- 
rowed Dr.  Edmund  Mason's  horse  for  my  own  use,  and 
we  rode  directly  to  the  headquarters  of  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia.  General  Lee  was  with  his  staff  occu- 
pying a  house  on  the  plank  road  several  miles  west  of 
Petersburg.  Ten  minutes'  ride  brought  us  to  the  door  of 
the  great  Confederate  chief.  His  care-worn  features, 
stern,  earnest,  manly,  and  sad  expression,  for  the  first 
time  in  three  eventful  years  of  war,  weakened  my  hopes 
in  the  final  success  of  our  cause.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  earnest  look,  and  the  warm,  almost  affectionate 
greeting  the  partisan  chief  and  the  Confederate  surgeon 
received  from  this  big-hearted  Christian  soldier.  I  have 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y 'S  COMMAND.  1 5 

never  looked  into  such  eyes  as  his.  His  great  soul  was 
tortured  by  doubt  verging  upon  despair.  In  the  face 
of  the  dire  peril  that  hung  like  a  funeral  pall  over  the 
fair  land  he  loved  so  well,  there  was  a  deep  meaning  in 
his  steady  gaze  that  I  have  never  seen  in  any  other 
eyes  than  his.  It  has  been  poetically  said  that  the  eye 
is  the  window  of  the  soul.  In  the  dark  gloom  that 
foreshadowed  the  dissolution  of  our  country,  kindled 
with  a  blaze  that  even  brightened  the  gloom  of  despair, 
I  looked  through  a  dazzling  and  beautiful  window  into 
the  most  magnificent  soul  that  ever  gave  immortality 
to  man.  The  noble  and  stately  chief  sat  alone,  in  a  small, 
plain  room,  surrounded  by  maps  and  papers.  As  we 
entered  he  arose  with  majestic  mien,  advanced,  and 
cordially  grasped  our  hands.  With  few  but  earnest 
words  the  partisan  leader  detailed  the  startling  achieve- 
ments of  his  gallant  clan  in  Northern  Virginia.  Mosby, 
at  that  period  of  the  war,  with  his  eight  hundred  ran- 
gers, commanded  all  of  Northern  Virginia  not  occupied 
by  the  enemy.  I  had  never  known  until  this  interview 
between  the  rough  rider  and  his  great  commander,  how 
important  was  the  little  band  known  as  the  Forty-third 
battalion  of  Virginia  cavalry  to  the  general  welfare  of 
the  Confederate  cause 

The  idol  of  the  army  thanked  the  brave  partisan 
for  the  great  services  he  had  rendered,  and  told  him 
that  the  army  was  under  obligations  to  him  for  signal 
and  efficient  work  in  holding  at  bay  large  bodies  of 
the  enemy,  and  for  the  capture  of  valuable  supplies,  so 
essential  to  our  suffering  troops.  The  Colonel,  in  his 
usual  curt  and  snappish  manner,  said:  "General,  I 


16  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

want  my  friend  here  assigned  to  my  command.  I 
have  only  an  assistant  surgeon ;  I  am  entitled  to  a 
surgeon.  He  is  an  old  friend,  and  I  want  him  with 
me."  "  It  will  give  me  pleasure  to  assist  you  in  any 
way,"  replied  General  Lee ;  "  but  I  have  no  control 
over  this  matter  more  than  to  request  the  Medical 
Director,  Dr.  Guild,  to  grant  your  wish  if  possible." 
With  this  short  interview  I  left  the  presence  of  this 
great  soldier  and  pure  Christian  never  to  look  into  his 
manly  face  again.  A  short  gallop  carried  us  to  the 
Appomattox  river.  We  crossed  on  a  pontoon  bridge 
to  the  headquarters  of  the  Medical  Director  of  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  We  dismounted  and 
entered  the  tent  of  Dr.  Lafayette  Guild.  The  distin- 
guished head  of  the  medical  department  of  the  field 
was  fast  asleep.  Whether  the  soporific  condition  of 
the  medical  director  could  be  ascribed  to  brain  exhaus- 
tion, fatigue,  or  the  proverbial  effect  of  the  atmosphere 
of  the  county  of  Chesterfield  I  know  not,  but  it  .was 
with  some  difficulty  that  I  aroused  him,  and  intro- 
duced Colonel  Mosby.  The  partisan  chief,  being  a  man 
of  few  words  and  remarkable  quickness  of  thought  and 
action,  promptly,  positively  and  bluntly  stated  the 
object  of  his  visit,  and  asked  that  his  friend  be  assigned 
to  duty  with  his  battalion.  "  I  am  very  sorry  to  dis- 
appoint you,"  said  the  sleepy  medical  director,  "  but 
I  cannot  make  any  changes  now  in  the  Medical  Depart- 
ment of  the  Army." 

At  this  abrupt  and  unexpected  refusal  the  Colonel 
made  as  gallant  a  charge  upon  the  great  head  of  the 


&  UliOEON  OP  MOSB  Y*S  COMMAND.  17 

Medical  Department  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Vir- 
ginia as  lie  had  ever  made  upon  the  Yankees.  He 
seemed  to  lose  all  control  of  his  temper,  and  dashed 
into  the  sleepy  representative  of  martial  physic.  The 
Doctor  was  aroused  and  wide  awake  in  less  time  than 
it  takes  me  to  write  this  sentence. 

"  This  is  infamous  red  tape,"  said  the  irate  Colonel. 
"  This  is  the  devil's  work  in  all  military  matters.  This 
red  tape  is  the  halter  of  stupidity  and  indolence  that 
has  strangled  General  Lee  and  starved  the  armies  of 
the  South.  I  shall  not  submit  to  it.  You  shall  at 
once  grant  what  I  ask,  or  I  will  get  an  order  from  the 
Secretary  of  War  this  very  night  and  have  it  delivered 
in  the  morning."  The  sudden,  snappish  and  gal- 
vanic manner  in  which  the  above,  "  or  words  to  that 
effect,"  were  discharged,  aroused  the  Doctor  to  as  wake- 
ful a  condition  as  his  phlegmatic  nature  would  admit. 
Turning  to  me  he  asked :  "  Doctor,  what  Colonel  Mosby 
is  this,  anyhow  ?  "  On  being  informed  that  he  was  in 
the  presence  of  the  renowned  partisan  leader  of  North- 
ern Virginia,  with  an  air  of  surprise  he  reached  out 
his  hand  to  Mosby,  apologized  for  not  recognizing  him 
before,  and  expressed  pleasure  in  making  his  acquaint- 
ance. He  hurriedly  assured  him  that  his  wish  should 
be  immediately  complied  with.  The  Colonel  grinned 
a  ghastly  grin,  and  told  the  military  medicine  man 
that  he  had  at  last  adopted  the  proper  method  of  dis- 
patching important  business,  and  galloped  off  with  the 
promise  that  I  should  surely  hear  from  him  next 
morning. 


18  WAR  &EMINISCEXCZS  £Y  THE 


CHAPTER  II. 


visit  of  Colonel  Mosby  to  the  medical  depart- 
_[  ment  of  Wise's  brigade  aroused  all  the  latent  curi- 
osity of  that  command.  Many  were  the  questions 
asked  by  officers  and  men  regarding  the  purpose  of 
his  visit.  A  rumor  sprang  up  that  Mosby  was  recruit- 
ing to  fill  the  wasted  companies  of  his  battalion.  The 
peculiar  fascinations  of  partisan  life,  added  to  the  bril- 
liant record  he  had  already  made  as  an  independent 
leader,  his  daring  adventures  and  successful  raids, 
mingled  with  a  charming  spirit  of  romance  and  the 
capture  of  dazzling  spoils,  excited  the  strongest  emo- 
tions and  kindled  the  liveliest  ambition  in  the  hearts 
of  the  old  soldiers  of  the  regular  service.  Officers  and 
enlisted  men  crowded  my  tent  anxiously  and  earnestly 
requesting  that  they  be  transferred  to  the  free-and-easy 
battalion  of  partisan  rangers.  Many  commissioned 
officers  expressed  their  willingness  to  join  Mosby  as 
/private  soldiers.  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  make  many 
friends  in  the  old  brigade,  and  when  the  rumor  ripened 
into  the  fact  that  I  was  preparing  to  leave  that  old 
heroic  band  forever,  many  of  the  rough,  bronzed  faces 
around  me  were  moistened  by  honest  tears  that  had 
neither  hypocrisy  nor  selfishness  in  them.  I  never 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  19 

shall  forget  the  emotions  excited  by  this  final  parting. 
Men  accustomed  to  the  presence  of  death  in  its  most 
hideous  and  revolting  forms ;  veteran  soldiers  who 
were  ever  in  readiness  to  die  in  defense  of  their  coun- 
try; brave  souls  that  only  a  few  weeks  before  had  fear- 
lessly looked  down  into  the  very  cannon's  mouth  in 
that  saturnalia  of  death  at  the  murderous  crater; 
sun-burnt,  weather-beaten  and  battled-scarred  heroes  of 
the  war,  whose  eyes  brightened  at  the  gleam  of  the 
bayonet  charge,  who  never  faltered  in  deadliest  shock 
of  battle,  shed  tears  at  the  final  parting  with  a  com- 
>ade  and  a  friend.  I  have  not  forgotten  you,  my  brave 
companions  of  the  blood-marked  battle-field,  and  never 
shall  forget  you.  Many  sons  of  old  Virginia,  'tis  sadly 
true,  have  been  wrapped  in  the  gloomy  folds  of  the 
old  Confederate  blanket,  and  buried  in  obscure  and 
shallow  graves ;  but  such  souls  as  the  true  Confederate 
soldier  carried  into  battle,  cannot  die,  neither  can  they 
be  wrapped  in  the  army  blanket  nor  buried  in  a 
shallow  grave.  The  truly  great  men  of  the  war  have 
mingled  their  dust  with  mother  earth  all  the  way  from 
Gettysburg  to  Chickamauga,  while  fate  has  decreed  the 
cheap  humanity  of  the  survivor  and  the  conqueror,  to 
revel  in  ill-gotten  wealth  at  home  and  abroad,  even 
amidst  the  despotic,  rotten  and  corrupt  kingdoms  of 
the  Old  World.  The  brave  defenders  of  their  country's 
honor  fell  in  battle,  while  the  coarse,  cheap  pets  of 
prostituted  fame  carouse  with  kings  and  take  lessons 
in  republican  liberty  from  the  jeweled  hand  of  royal 
despotism.  Time  alone  will  place  the  monarch  and 


20  WAR  REMINISCENCES  11 Y  THE 

the  peasant,  the  hero  and  the  despot,  the  sage  and  the 
sot,  on  the  same  eternal  plane  of  everlasting  equity— 

"  Weighed  iu  the  balance,  hero  dust 

Is  vile  as  vulgar  clay  ; 
Thy  scales,  Mortality,  are  just 
To  all  who  pass  away." 

It  is  difficult  for  people  unaccustomed  to  camp  life  to 
understand  how  the  grotesque  and  the  beautiful,  the 
sublime  and  the  ludicrous,  are  so  intimately  blended  in 
a  soldier's  life.  My  friend,  Dr.  Wm.  Hoskins,  was  the 
surgeon  of  the  Fifty-ninth  Virginia  regiment.  H' 
placed  over  my  tent  a  rough  board,  on  which  appeared 
the  attractive  inscription,  "Recruiting  Office  for  Mosby's 
Battalion."  This  cunning  display  of  poetical  wit  on 
the  part  of  my  friend  Hoskins  brought  all  kinds  of 
military  candidates  to  my  quarters.  Commissioned 
officers  of  high  rank  were  willing  to  exchange  their 
commissions  for  a  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  partisan 
battalion ;  wounded  and  invalid  soldiers  crawled  out 
of  their  hospital  tents  and  tendered  their  services  ;  old 
veterans  of  a  hundred  fights  hobbled  around  with  one 
leg  or  one  arm,  declaring  they  could  follow  Mosby,  and 
begging  to  be  transferred  to  him.  While  the  impres- 
sion that  I  was  a  recruiting  officer  continued,  Donny- 
brook  fair  was  a  well-disciplined  place,  and  even  Bed- 
lam a  quiet  abode,  compared  with  the  scenes  around 
the  medical  department  of  Wise's  brigade.  Earnest 
and  repeated  denial  of  the  rumor  failed  to  convince 
the  zealous  applicants  that  I  was  not  a  recruiting  officer 
for  the  distinguished  partisan  chief.  Much  to  the  dis- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  21 

appointment  of  my  friend,  Dr.  Hoskins,  who  seemed  to 
enjoy  his  fun  in  proportion  to  my  perplexity,  a  courier 
delivered  my  order  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  to 
"Report  without  delay  to  Colonel  J.  S.  Mosby  for  duty." 
The  anxious  candidates  for  partisan  honors  became 
convinced,  and  seemed,  though  slowly,  to  comprehend 
the  situation  when  the  order  from  the  War  Department 
was  made  known  to  them,  though  a  few,  like  doubting 
Thomas,  insisted  on  seeing  and  handling  the  paper  itself. 
This  order  severed  me  forever  from  the  gallant  band  of 
heroes  known  as  Wise's  brigade.  To  the  reader  unac- 
quainted with  medico-military  matters,  it  would  be 
extremely  difficult  to  convey  in  language  the  aggregate 
stupidity  attending  the  cruel  meanderings  of  the  med- 
ical department  of  an  army.  From  the  cerebrum  to 
the  caudal  appendix  of  this  department,  individual 
egotism  and  general  imbecility  prevail.  "May  the 
angels  and  ministers  of  grace "  watch  and  defend  a 
brave  army  against  the  diabolical  machinery  of  organic 
military  medicine.  It  is  sadly  disgusting  in  civil  life 
to  witness  professional  men  without  brains,  secure 
behind  fortifications  of  the  time-honored  idiocy  calTed 
professional  etiquette,  show  their  contempt  for  human 
right  and  human  life.  But  these  creatures  are  powerless 
in  private  practice,  and  succeed  in  their  imposture  only 
through  the  ignorance  of  their  unlucky  patrons.  Unfor- 
tunately, in  military  medicine,  the  fool  and  the  charla- 
tan is  powerful  if  he  has  procured  a  commission  through 
the  pusillanimous  influence  of  nepotism.  The  uncles, 
the  sisters,  and  the  aunts  of  a  medical  association,  like 


22  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

those  of  a  military  association,  have  been  known  to 
raise  contemptible  imposters  to  places  of  great  power 
and  responsibility. 

With  a  singleness  of  purpose  I  served  the  Southern 
cause,  and  a  fidelity  of  which  I  am  not  ashamed 
even  in  these  days  of  reconstruction.  From  its  bright 
incipiency  to  its  gloomy  close,  I  guarded  as  best  I  could 
every  avenue  through  which  danger  or  damage  could 
approach  our  ill-fated  government.  With  a  deep  inter- 
est in  my  own  department,  I  worked  earnestly  in  behalf 
of  the  wounded  and  the  sick.  After  years  of  the  best 
thought  I  am  capable  of  bestowing  upon  this  interest- 
ing subject,  I  am  forced  by  the  irresistible  logic  of  facts 
to  declare  that  of  all  the  causes  that  conspire  to  increase 
and  intensify  the  cruelties  of  war,  without  excepting 
the  numerous  diseases  and  injuries,  the  multiform  mis- 
eries of  ideopathic,  contagious  or  infectious  disorders,  a 
drunken,  mal-administration  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment constitutes  the  most  dire  affliction  that  can  befall 
an  army  in  the  field. 

The  veiled  prophet  of  Khorassan  was  less  cruel  to 
his  unhappy  and  deluded  followers  than  were  the  exec- 
utive methods  of  Confederate  medicine  to  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  of  our  unfortunate  army.  The  chief 
duties  of  this  department  seemed  to  be  clerical :  To 
keep  books;  to  order  the  largest  number  of  wounded 
men  to  be  transported  the  greatest  possible  distances  by 
the  roughest  modes  of  transportation ;  to  refuse  all 
needed  supplies  to  Hie  surgeons  in  the  field ;  to  encour- 
age all  medical  officers  to  be  as  cruel  and  severe  to  the 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  23 

sick  and  wounded  as  possible ;  to  prevent  the  examin- 
ing boards  from  discharging  maimed,  crippled,  or  con_ 
sumptive  soldiers;  to  avoid  by  strict  care  the  appoint- 
ment of  intelligent  or  qualified  surgeons  to  positions 
of  responsibility,  were  the  chief  functions  of  the  sur- 
geon-general's office.  Should  a  surgeon  be  so  indiscreet 
as  to  manifest  any  human  feeling  or  sympathy  for  the 
sick  or  wounded  under  his  care,  he  would  surely  be 
reprimanded  for  the  kindness  of  his  heart.  To  please 
the  head  of  the  department,  surgeons  must  be  cruel, 
stern,  severe;  and,  above  all  things,  stupid,  submissive 
and  sycophantic.  To  manifest  the  smallest  degree  of 
intelligence,  or  exhibit  any  sympathy  at  all,  or  display 
the  least  kindness  of  heart  toward  a  suffering  soldier, 
would  surely  incur  the  displeasure  of  all  the  promi- 
nent officers  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Army. 
No  surgeon  was  promoted,  or  even  respected,  if  he  was 
not  both  stupid  and  despotic.  Ignorance  and  pre- 
sumption, as  a  rule,  with  blood  relations  in  power,  were 
the  chief  factors  of  promotion  or  of  obtaining  soft  posi- 
tions in  the  army,  and  more  particularly  in  the  medi- 
cal wing  of  the  military  service.  The  circumstances 
that  environed  my  application  for  a  surgeon's  commis- 
sion were  amusing,  if  not  ludicrous.  I  procured  cer- 
tificates of  scientific  qualifications  and  moral  character 
from  the  purest,.ablest,  and  most  distinguished  medical 
men  and  officers  in  the  army  and  in  civil  life.  Among 
the  prominent  names  in  my  profession  were  those  of 
Professors  James  L.  Cabell  and  John  Staige  Davies,  of 
the  University  of  Virginia,  my  preceptors  and  friends. 
These  testimonials  were  presented  to  the  executive  head 


24  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

of  the  medical  department,  to  enable  me  to  procure 
permission  to  be  examined  by  a  board  of  distinguished 
Southern  experts.  I  was  not  more  surprised  than  dis- 
gusted when  the  great  Mogul  in  authority  told  me, 
without  blushing,  that  the  names  I  presented,  though 
known  to  the  scientific  people  of  two  continents,  were 
unknown  to  him!  lie  insisted  that  I  should  present 
certificates  from  people  of  his  acquaintance.  The  con- 
tempt r.nd  disgust  inspired  by  this  incident  increased 
my  determination  to  succeed.  I  made  a  diligent  search 
for  such  unknown  creatures  as  were  likely  to  enjoy  the 
friendship  of  a  great  man. 

Through  the  kindness  of  my  ever-valued  friend,  Dr. 
James  Beale,  of  Richmond,  my  research  was  rewarded 
by  the  discovery  of  two  obscure  medical  students  One 
had  been  a  pupil  in  my  office  ;  the  other  was  of  worse 
than  doubtful  reputation,  but  both  were  favorites  with 
the  office  that  represented  the  big  end  of  the  medical 
department.  I  easily  procured  the  signatures  of  these 
unknown  stripplings,  and  soon  discovered  they  were 
far  more  influential  with  the  ruling  power  than  were 
the  distinguished  names  before  presented.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem  to  the  civilized  reader,  the  autographs  of 
these  pet  boys,  like  the  tear  of  the  penitent  criminal 
found  by  the  Peri,  gained  admittance  to  the  august 
tribunal  of  medical  qualification.  I  had  often  before 
the  war  been  catechised  by  very  distinguished  profes- 
sors, and  always  succeeded  in  impressing  them  with  a 
belief  that  I  was  proficient  in  the  healing  art.  I  now 
had  to  face  a  very  different  tribunal.  A  real  Confede- 
rate examining  board  is  a  very  different  body  of  men 


SURGEON  OF  MOSn  Y'S  COMMAND.  25 

from  the  faculties  of  the  University  of  Virginia  and 
the  Jefferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia.  These 
learned  Southern  experts  held  certain  doctrines  and 
fine-drawn  theories  that  no  other  people  held.  The 
first  proposition  that  startled  me  was  the  differential 
diagnosis  between  a  Confederate  soldier  and  any  other 
soldier  from  a  surgical  standpoint.  I  knew  of  several 
intellectual  peculiarities  of  the  Confederate  soldier  that 
no  other  soldier  possessed.  One  was  that  he  would 
receive  Confederate  money  for  his  services — an  act  that 
no  other  sane  individual  would  commit — but  that  his 
physical  being  differed  from  that  of  other  men,  and 
that  he  demanded  a  different  system  of  medical  and 
surgical  treatment  than  other  people,  I  was  not  pre- 
pared to  admit.  My  examination  was  not  difficult  but 
peculiar.  I  recognized  one  member  of  the  board  of 
examiners  as  a  classmate.  I  had  spent  many  months 
with  him  in  the  Itcture-room  of  the  University.  As  a 
medical  student  he  was  dignified  and  silent.  He  rarely 
condescended  to  answer  any  question  addressed  to  him 
in  class.  He  left  that  institution  of  learning  without 
a  diploma,  but  his  father  possessed  cash,  and  a  voyage 
to  the  city  of  Paris  no  doubt  gave  him  a  passport  to 
an  elevated  position  in  the  medical  department  of  our 
new  government.  Another  member  was  eccentric. 
He  died  by  suicide  soon  after  the  war.  One  other 
member  owed  his  promotion  to  nepotism — a  very  com- 
mon disease  at  that  time.  A  fourth  member  was  very 
drunk.  He  died  in  that  way  soon  after  my  examina- 
tion. The  fifth  and  last  member  was  a  scientific  gen- 
tleman and  thoroughly  qualified  for  the  responsible 


20  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

position  he  occupied.  The  only  peculiarity  of  dispo- 
sition that  marked  these  learned  and  privileged  gen- 
tlemen was  the  punctuality  they  displayed  in  drawing 
their  salaries  in  Confederate  money,  and  in  writing 
quaint  essays  on  diseases  incident  to  the  Confederate 
soldier  and  gun-shot  wounds  of  the  human  intellect 
generally.  I  enjoyed  the  rare  good  fortune  of  reading 
several  curious  productions  of  this  sort  before  my 
examination,  and  it  is  probable  my  good  luck  and  suc- 
cess in  passing  this  comical  ordeal  may  be  ascribed  to 
that  accident.  One  of  these  professional  sages  held 
that  gun-shot  wounds  of  the  lung  should  be  treated, 
a  la  Dr.  Langrado,  by  copious  blood-letting.  His  oppo- 
nent held  an  opposite  doctrine.  This  very  question 
confronted  me :  I  could  not  please  one  of  my  termer,  t- 
ors  without  offending  the  other.  I  was  compelled  to 
hedge  on  common  sense  to  escape  defeat,  and  answered 
boldly  that,  "  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge  and  belief, 
both  methods  had  been  eminently  successful  in  Chi- 
nese surgery,  and  that  if  both  gentlemen  happened  to 
be  present  on  any  battle-field  where  I  was  on  duty  (a 
very  improbable  hypothesis,  as  government  pets  are 
cautious  animals,)  I  would,  by  their  authority,  treat  all 
traumatic  affections  of  the  Confederate  lung  both 
ways."  This  answer  pleased  the  scientific  jury,  and  I 
was  acquitted  of  professional  heresy  and  commissioned 
to  kill,  secundum  artem,  and  to  draw  from  the  Confede- 
rate treasury  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars  per 
month  in  a  sort  of  infidel  currency  that  knew  not  a 
redeemer. 


/S  UKGEON  OF  MOSXY'S  COMMAND. 


CHAPTER  III. 


T  T  7 ITH  the  aid  of  ray  assistant  surgeon,  Dr.  Bristow 
and  faithful  hospital  steward,  Dr.  Leigh,  a  care- 
fully prepared  report  of  all  the  sick  and  wounded  of 
the  regiment,  for  the  period  of  one  month,  was  duly 
rendered  the  surgeon-general.  My  friend,  Colonel  Tabb, 
one  of  the  bravest  and  most  chivalrous  officers  of  the 
army,  requested  me  to  delay  my  departure  a  few  days 
and  accompany  him  to  Richmond,  where  he  anticipated 
a  matrimonial  union  with  one  of  the  fairest  daughters 
of  the  Confederate  capital.  I  promised  to  gratify  my 
brave  comrade  and  witness  that  most  interesting  and 
happy  event  of  human  life — the  union  of  two  hearts 
that  love.  I  fulfilled  the  promise  and  witnessed  the 
marriage  of  the  knightly  groom  and  the  beautiful 
bride.  Only  fourteen  years  have  swept  with  dark  and 
funereal  wing  over  that  bright  and  joyous  scene — the 
beautiful  flower  faded  and  died ;  the  young  wife  has 
been  sleeping  for  years  in  the  grave,  and  the  noble 
husband  has  followed  her  to  that  dark  abode !  This 
officer  was  as  insensible  to  fear  as  the  heroic  French- 
man, Marshal  Ney.  If  Napoleon  could  designate  his 
great  lieutenant — amidst  thousands  of  dauntless  vete- 
rans— as  "the  bravest  of  the  brave,"  surely  that  dis- 


28  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

tinguished  honor  could  be  worn  as  meritoriously  and 
as  gracefully  by  my  warm-hearted  friend  and  gallant 
comrade,  Colonel  Tabb. 

Before  taking  my  departure  from  the  regular  service, 
I  visited,  amongst  other  officers,  the  statesman  and  sol- 
dier who  bequeathed  a  name  to  the  old  brigade.  Gen- 
eral II.  A.  Wise  occupied  a  small  wooden  house  near 
the  western  suburbs  of  Petersburg.  I  found  this  rep- 
resentative specimen  of  Virginia's  genius  engaged  in  a 
very  animated  discussion  of  the  probable  results  of  the 
war  with  his  old  friend,  Mr.  Parker,  from  the  county 
of  Accomac.  Mr.  Parker  exhibited  the  same  fiery 
vehemence  in  discussion  so  characteristic  of  General 
Wise.  It  was  amusing  and  entertaining  to  witness 
these  two  active  and  impetuous  old  gentlemen  wrestle 
in  playful  controversy.  It  was  an  intellectual  gladia- 
torial encounter.  They  were  old  friends,  and  indulged 
in  the  widest  latitudes  of  freedom  with  each  other,  and 
were  well  matched  in  wit,  quickness  of  thought,  and 
sarcasm .  Their  rapid  and  sharp  criticisms  of  the  imag- 
inary faults  and  frailties  of  each  other  constituted  one 
of  the  most  interesting  exhibitions  I  have  ever  enjoyed. 
Rapid  and  brilliant  scintillations  of  wit  would  snap 
and  flash  from  one  to  the  other  like  sparks  of  electric 
fluid  from  the  poles  of  a  strong  galvanic  battery.  After 
silently  awaiting  a  pause  in  the  storm  of  words  that 
played  upon  the  auditorial  nerves  like  the  music  of  a 
nail  factory,  I  informed  General  Wise  that  I  had  been 
ordered  to  report  to  Mosby,and  must  leave  his  brigade. 
The  old  gentleman  had  been  tuned  to  concert  pitch  by 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y*S  COMMAND.  29 

the  boisterous  encounter  with  his  verbose  companion. 
Abruptly  turning  upon  me,  with  that  inimitable  mimic 
expression  of  displeasure  and  anger  that  only  General 
Wise  could  assume,  he  asked  if  I  was  in  earnest.  "Are 
you  going  to  leave  the  Twenty-sixth  regiment,  sir;  my 
brigade,  sir?  Do  you  know  that  Mosby  fights  under 
the  black  flag,  sir?  Do  you  desire  to  be  captured  and 
hung,  sir?"  and,  with  that  peculiar  shake  of  the  head 
and  clenching  of  teeth  so  characteristic  of  the  man, 
with  increased  emphasis,  he  repeated : 

"  Will  be  hung,  sir;  hung  by  the  neck  like  a  dog,  sir; 
hung  to  a  tree,  sir,  as  certain  as  you  leave  my  brigade, 
sir,  and  join  that  band  of  pirates.  'The  worst  part  is, 
that  you  will  deserve  to  suffer,  sir,  for  leaving  my  poor 
Twenty-sixth  regiment,  sir."  (This  was  the  General's 
pet  regiment.)  "I  shall  not  object  to  your  going,  sir, 
if  you  had  rather  be  hung  than  remain  in  my  brigade. 
Go,  sir;  go,  go;  we  can  bear  your  loss  as  well  as  you 
can  stand  hanging." 

While  delivering  himself  of  these  soothing  expres- 
sions, so  consoling  to  a  retiring  comrade,  the  General 
was  busily  engaged  in  pulling  off  one  of  his  boots. 
Impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  old  hero  was  "  trou- 
bled with  corns,"  that  may  have  contributed  somewhat 
to  his  accustomed  irritability  of  temper,  I  was  not  sur- 
prised at  this  manoeuvre,  but  there  was  something  ludi- 
crous in  his  gesture  and  gait  as  he  awkwardly  advanced 
to  me,  boot  in  hand,  and  quietly  requested  that  I  would 
take  off  one  of  my  boots  and  try  his  on.  I  asked  a 
reason  for  this  singular  proceeding. 


30  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

"  You  see,  my  boots  are  nearly  worn  out,"  was  the 
reply,  "and  I  can't  get  another  pair;  there  is  no  good 
leather  in  the  Confederacy,  and  I  can't  wear  bull's  hide. 
If  my  boot  fits  you,  I  want  you  to  send  me  the  best 

pair  you  capture  from  the  d d  Yankees ;  try  them 

on ;  and  I  don't  want  you  to  wait  for  a  second  capture ; 
send  me  the  first  you  get,  for  they  will  hang  you  before 
you  get  another  choice.  I  am  an  old  man;  I  know 
more  than  you  do  about  black  flags;  they  will  hang 
you,  sir;  hang  you.  Send  me  the  boots  before  they 
catch  you." 

I  confess  this  prophetic  language  did  not  increase 
my  relish  for  the  new  field  of  service  before  me.  I  had 
already  been  informed  that  the  chaplain  of  Mosby's 
command  had  been  hung  to  a  tree  for  no  other  offense 
than  praying  for  the  partisan  battalion.  I  had  no 
cause  to  expect  more  leniency  than  the  unfortunate 
young  preacher  had  received.  If  the  pious  non-com- 
batant was  hung  for  ministering  to  the  diseased  Con- 
federate soul,  what  plea  for  mercy  could  be  sustained  in 
behalf  of  the  less  godly  surgeon,  whose  art  only  min- 
istered to  the  rebel  body?  But,  with  unshaken  confi- 
dence in  the  truth  of  the  saying,  that  "catching  comes 
before  hanging,"  I  bade  an  affectionate  adieu  to  the 
fiery  old  General  and  his  staff,  with  the  promise  that  I 
would  not  forget  his  boots  should  a  Yankee  of  the 
proper  size,  with  boots  of  the  proper  make,  be  captured 
before  my  time  came,  according  to  his  prophesy,  to  be 
hung. 

At  this  period  of  the  war  no  commissioned  officer  or 
soldier  could  walk  the  streets  of  any  city  in  Virginia 


&  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  31 

without  being  arrested,  unless  protected  by  a  pass  or 
order,  signed  by  officers  of  high  rank.  I  have  some- 
times thought  that,  if  half  the  men  on  conscript  duty 
had  been  in  active  service  in  the  field,  the  result  of  the 
war  would  have  been  different;  and  it  is  possible  that 
Washington,  and  not  Appomattox,  would  have  seen  its 
termination.  The  last  few  years  of  the  desperate  and 
unequal  struggle  found  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia 
growing  weaker  and  smaller,  while  the  home  guards 
and  conscript  forces  grew  larger  and  stronger  every 
year.  This  department  of  the  service  was  becoming 
more  popular  as  the  struggle  became  warmer  and  more 
desperate.  The  streets  of  our  cities  were  filled  with 
guards,  whose  only  or  chief  duty  seemed  to  be  to  keep 
out  of  the  army  themselves  and  put  every  invalid  and 
wounded  veteran  back  into  the  ranks  again.  To  see 
able-bodied  loafers,  musket  in  hand,  on  every  street 
corner  and  on  every  sidewalk,  while  lame,  crippled  sol- 
diers were  performing  active  duty  in  the  field,  became 
one  of  the  most  unpromising  and  revolting  phenomena 
of 'the  closing  scenes  of  the  war.  The  home  guards 
and  conscript  bureaus  became  the  refuge  of  safety  and 
comfort  for  the  favorites  and  pets  of  authority  ;  young 
and  green  lieutenants  could  save  their  reputations  and 
their  innocent  bodies  by  this  ingenious  military  con- 
trivance; and  the  soft  sons,  nephews  and  cousins  of  all 
the  rear  action  officials  in  power  sought  shelter  and  ease 
in  these  pleasant  and  safe  bombproof  establishments. 

On  leaving  Petersburg  en  route  to  Mosby's  command, 
no  sooner  had  I  stepped  from  the  railway  train  in 


32  WAR  REMINISCENCES  LY  THE 

Richmond,  than  one  of  these  vigilant  conscript-hunt- 
ers, noticing  my  uniform,  worn  and  dusty,  at  once 
believed  me  to  be  one  of  the  old  veterans  of  the  field 
who  should  not  be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  freedom,  or 
the  luxuries  of  a  city  even  for  a  moment.  He 
promptly  advanced,  dropped  the  butt  of  his  musket 
heavily  upon  the  pavement,  and,  with  the  character- 
istic whining  twang  of  the  chronic  guard,  not  easily 
forgotten  but  impossible  to  describe  with  the  pen, 
said :  "  Ha-lt !  pa-ss  !  "  at  the  same  time  extending  his 
hand  to  receive  whatever  paper  authority  I  might  be 
fortunate  enough  to  possess.  I  presented  my  order, 
from  the  Secretary  of  War  to  report  to  Colonel  J.  S 
Mosby.  At  this,  the  potent  engine  of  belligerent  author- 
ity, with  musket  attachment,  informed  me  that  he  could 
not  read  (like  a  true  and  candid  disciple  of  Dr.  Dab- 
ney's  creed).  He  gruffly  ordered  me  to  read  my  own 
passport  for  him.  It  did  not  occur  to  this  vigilant 
watchman  on  the  outposts  of  Southern  liberty,  that  I 
could  deceive  him  at  pleasure  by  reading  from  imagi- 
nation instead  of  the  paper  before  me.  I  read  the 
order  as  it  was  written,  and  also  the  name  of  the  high- 
est officer  of  the  military  department  of  the  Govern- 
ment, as  my  authority  for  traveling  by  the  most  speedy 
and  direct  route,  in  obedience  to  the  high  command  of 
the  yet  powerful  Confederate  rule,  from  the  regular 
army  to  the  partisan  command.  On  hearing  the  order 
read,  a  rapid  change  came  over  the  spirit  of  my  newly 
made  and  inquisitive  acquaintance.  He  suddenly 
changed  his  tone  of  authority,  and  expressed  a  strong 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY1  S  COMMAND.  33 

desire  to  exchange  places  with  me.  He  said  he  had 
heard  so  much  of  Mosby,  and  his  men  lived  so  well 
and  made  so  much  money,  that,  if  I  had  no  objection 
to  taking  his  place  and  his  musket,  he  would  be  very 
glad  to  take  mine,  and  promised  faithfully  that  he 
would  not  desert,  but  do  his  duty  like  a  man.  With 
the  firm  belief  that  he  would  get  rich  on  partisan  spoils 
in  a  very  short  time,  he  begged  me  to  take  him  with 
me  if  I  would  not  exchange  places  with  him.  So  pop- 
ular was  the  partisan  band  at  this  period  of  the  war, 
that  an  unsophisticated  guard  could  be  easily  seduced 
from  duty  by  its  charm  of  novelty  and  romance,  with 
the  spice  of  avarice  attached.  This  ignorant  guard 
had  heard  marvelous  stories  about  the  immense  wealth 
captured  by  Mosby.  He  told  of  certain  Yankee  pay 
masters  being  captured  and  relieved  of  millions  at  a 
single  raid.  His  e3res  moistened  with  emotion  as  he 
related  to  me  the  bright  pecuniary  prospects  for  us  both, 
if  I  would  only  agree  to  take  him  with  me,  and  even 
went  far  enough  to  promise  I  should  be  a  partner  in 
his  expected  spoils  if  I  would  comply  with  his  very 
reasonable  request. 

I  have  related  this  simple  incident  to  elucidate  the 
general  sentiment  of  the  army  regarding  the  prospec- 
tive pleasures  and  profits  of  the  guerrilla  service. 

After  remaining  only  one  day  in  Richmond,  to  procure 
proper  equipments  of  partisan  life,  I  proceeded  directly 
to  the  county  of  Albemarle.  On  arriving  at  Char- 
lottesville,  I  learned  that  my  new  leader  had  returned 
to  his  command  the  clay  following  my  last  interview 


84  WAR  REMINISCENCES  21 Y  THE 

with  him  at  Petersburg ;  had  been  seriously,  if  not 
mortally,  wounded,  and  would  be  conveyed  to  his 
father's  house  near  Lynchburg,  if  not  captured  by  the 
enemy.  I  remained  in  Charlottesville  that  night,  and 
heard  it  rumored  that  he  was  dead  and  his  body  had 
been  sent  to  Mclvor  depot,  near  the  home  of  his  father. 
Before  the  departure  of  the  evening  train  for  Lynch- 
burg another  rumor  came  that  he  was  not  dead,  but 
seriously  wounded.  I  proceeded  at  once  to  Mclvor 
depot,  and  there  learned  that  my  friend  was  at  his 
father's,  a  short  distance  from  the  depot.  I  was  glad 
to  find  him  in  much  better  condition  than  I  had  cause 
to  expect.  He  was  cheerful,  though  in  considerable 
pain.  This  was  the  seventh  wound  he  had  received 
from  the  enemy. 

Though  feeble  from  hemorrhage  he  was  able  to  give 
me  a  graphic  and  interesting  account  of  his  adventures 
since  our  recent  parting.  Two  days  after  leaving  my 
camp  near  Petersburg,  he  was  skirmishing  with  a  large 
force  of  the  enemy  at  Rector's  cross-roads,  in  Fauquier 
county.  At  night  he  rode  in  company  with  two  of  his 
men  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Lud.  Lake,  only  three  miles 
from  the  enemy's  camp.  While  at  supper  a  strong 
force  of  the  enemy  surrounded  the  house  and  fired  on 
him  through  the  windows.  One  bullet  entered  his  left 
side  below  the  heart,  and  passing  around  his  body, 
lodged  under  the  skin  on  the  right  side.  He  fell  to  the 
floor,  yet  retained  presence  of  mind  sufficient  to  take  off 
his  jacket,  with  the  mark  of  his  rank  upon  it,  and  con- 
ceal it  under  a  small  bed  before  the  assassins  entered 


SUEGEON  OF  MOSHY'S  COMMAND.  35 

the  room.  A  Federal  officer,  followed  by  u  number  of 
men,  rushed  in  upon  the  wounded  Colonel.  The  officer 
examined  the  wound  carefully,  and  saying  it  was  mor- 
tal, asked  his  name  and  command.  The  Colonel  feebly 
replied  that  his  name  was  Wilson,  and  that  he  was  a 
Lieutenant  of- the  Sixth  Virginia  cavalry.  The  appre- 
ciative murderer,  with  true  military  sang  froid,  said  to 
Mr.  Lud.  Lake,  "Have  him  decently  buried;  he  seems 
to  be  a  brave  soldier."  While  the  gallant  Colonel  was 
pretending  to  be  much  worse  than  he  really  was,  and 
the  Yankee  Major  delivered  himself  of  a  sympathetic 
eulogy  over  what  he  supposed  to  be  a  dying  soldier,  his 
followers  were  busily  engaged  in  relieving  the  victim 
of  his  boots.  They  also  found  his  overcoat  and  hat. 
With  this  capture  of  personal  property,  they  departed, 
without  suspecting  the  importance  of  the  unknown  offi- 
cer they  had  robbed  and  left,  as  they  supposed,  to  die. 
No  sooner  had  the  unwelcome  visitors  left  his  pres- 
ence than  the  brave  Colonel  arose  from  the  floor,  not- 
withstanding his  great  loss  of  blood,  and  ordered  Mr. 
Lud.  Lake  to  furnish  some  sort  of  transportation  imme- 
diately. He  knew  that  certain  papers  and  dispatches 
contained  in  the  pocket  of  his  overcoat  would  betray 
him,  whenever  they  were  examined  at  the  enemy's 
camp.  His  suspicions  were  well  founded.  Mr.  Lake 
unfortunately  had  no  other  mode  of  removing  the 
wounded  Colonel  than  a  clumsy  ox-cart,  and  two 
untrained  calves  to  pull  it.  This  quaint  apparatus  for 
"rapid  transit"  was  soon  ready,  and  the  Colonel  removed 
several  miles  in  a  forest  and  carefully  concealed  him- 


36  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

self  with  leaves  and  brush.  A  few  hours  after  he 
effected  his  exodus  from  the  unlucky  precincts  of  old 
Lud.  Lake,  the  entire  country  was  closely  scoured  by 
Yankee  cavalry.  Papers  in  the  pockets  of  the  stolen 
overcoat,  had  revealed  the  fact  that  the  wounded  officer 
was  no  other  than  the  renowned  partisan  chief.  Every 
house  was  searched,  and  every  citizen  threatened  with 
immediate  death,  if  any  were  so  hardened  in  sin  or  lost 
in  iniquity,  as  to  aid  in  the  concealment  of  the  dreaded 
guerrilla. 

This  active  search  was  kept  up  several  days.  Herod's 
endeavor  to  discover  the  young  child  was  not  moro 
energetic.  Every  well,  ice-house,  barnyard,  and  chicken 
coop,  was  examined  in  vain.  Sharp,  experienced  officers 
and  lynx-eyed  enlisted  men  explored  every  hole,  cav- 
ern and  corner  of  sufficient  capacity  to  conceal  a  medium 
sized  rebel.  They  cast  anxious  glances  under  every 
bed  and  looked  up  every  chimney,  yet  no  woumled 
Colonel  did  they  find. 

While  this  scrutinizing  investigation  of  field,  forest 
and  domicile  progressed,  Mosby  rested  quietly  under 
his  pile  of  leaves  and  brushwood.  When  the  excite- 
ment of  the  human  hunt  subsided,  the  cunning  chief 
emerged  from  his  hiding  place,  and  by  the  aid  of  an 
ambulance  made  good  his  escape  to  Gordonsville. 


&  URQEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  37 


CHAPTER  IV. 


T  REMAINED  with  my  new  commander  until  he  was 
sufficiently  improved  to  leave  his  chamber.  The 
wound  he  had  received  was  a  severe  one.  Exhaustion 
from  hemorrhage,  with  attendant  inflammation  and 
symptomatic  fever,  left  him  in  a  feeble  and  prostrated 
condition.  His  strong  will  and  cheerful  disposition 
resisted  successfully  the  results  of  serious  injury. 

After  the  dull  routine  of  camp  life  and  the  tiresome 
monotony  of  regular  service,  it  was  exceedingly  inter- 
esting to  hear  from  the  lips  of  the  great  raider,  a  lively 
recital  of  his  many  "hair-breadth  'scapes"  and  daring 
encounters  with  the  enemy.  His  description  of  the 
capture  of  General  Stoughton  made  a  lasting  impres- 
sion. I  remember  well  the  manner  and  zest  with  which 
he  related  this  most  remarkable  incident  of  the  war. 
There  is  something  so  wild  and  desperate  in  piercing 
the  very  heart  of  a  large  army,  with  a  squad  of  twelve 
men,  to  capture  a  general  in  his  camp,  surrounded  by 
his  videttes,  pickets  and  guard,  that  it  reads  more  like 
the  creation  of  fiction,  than  the  historic  realities  of  mili- 
tary life.  I  doubt  that  either  ancient  or  modern  war- 
fare has  produced  a  leader  that  combined  the  rare 


38  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

strategy  and  extraordinary  courage  requisite  to  plan 
and  execute  such  an  enterprise  as  Mosby  consummated 
in  the  capture  of  General  Stoughton. 

His  narrative  was,  that  he  selected  twelve  good  men. 
and  advanced  cautiously  through  the  darkness  of  a 
stormy  night  upon  the  enemy's  first  line  of  pickets. 
He  captured  them  without  difficulty  and  carried  them 
with  him.  He  then  made  prisoners  of  the  second  and 
third  lines  of  pickets.  They  were  now  more  than  he 
could  well  guard.  He  then  proceeded  alone  to  the 
house  where  the  General  slept.  The  guard  at  the  door 
was  captured  and  disarmed,  and  ordered  to  act  as  guide 
to  General  Stoughton's  room.  With  a  pistol  bearing 
upon  his  head,  the  prisoner  slowly  and  reluctantly 
obeyed.  He  found  the  General  asleep  and  shook  him 
several  times  before  he  was  aroused.  He  seemed  to  be 
only  half  way  conscious,  and  probably  supposed  the 
raider  to  be  one  of  his  own  men.  With  a  gruff  voice 
and  an  ugly  epithet,  he  ordered  the  intruder  to  leave  and 
not  disturb  him  again.  Knowing  that  his  name  was 
not  entirely  devoid  of  interest  or  significance  to  a  live 
Yankee,  he  asked  the  General  in  a  rather  loud  tone  if 
he  had  heard  of  Mosby?  The  talisrnanic  name  seemed 
to  get  the  attention  of  the  drowsy  officer.  Turning 
suddenly,  he  asked,  with  some  interest,  "  Have  you 

caught  the  d d  rascal  ?"     "  No,"  said  the  chief;  "but 

he  has  caught  you !  My  name  is  Mosby,  and  you  are 
my  prisoner."  It  is  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  any 
man  since  the  melancholy  event  of  man's  first  fall,  has 
ever  been  more  surprised  or  shocked  than  was  this  Gen- 
eral, when  informed  that  he  was  Mosby 's  prisoner. 


OF  MOSR  Y'S  COMMAND,  39 

He  was  ordered  to  rise,  dress  and  follow  his  captor. 
He  seemed  to  be  so  reluctant  and  slow  to  obey,  that  the 
stimulus  of  a  pistol  presented  to  his  face  convinced  him 
at  once  that  disobedience  was  synonymous  with  death 
while  Mosby  was  at  one  end  of  the  pistol  and  ho  was 
at  the  other.  The  General  and  his  pickets  were  all 
brought  out  safely  and  sent  to  Gordonsville,  under 
guard.  Compared  with  this  adventure  the  boasted 
exploits  of  the  old  knights  in  the  days  of  chivalry,  pale 
into  utter  insignificance. 

In  the  month  of  May,  in  the  ever-memorable  year 
1862,  the  brave  and  lamented  Stuart  won  military 
renown  by  one  of  the  most  daring  adventures  ever 
made  by  a  small  body  of  cavalry.  This  accomplished 
and  brilliant  officer  performed  the  daring  feat  of  lead- 
ing his  followers  entirely  around  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  equipped  armies  of  ancient  or  modem  times. 
When  McClellan,  with  nearly  two  hundred  thousand 
men,  held  the  Confederate  capital  as  with  the  grip  of  a 
•riant — when  the  dismal  sound  of  the  alarm  bells  of 

O 

the  doomed  city  of  Richmond  carried  dismay  and 
despair  into  the  hearts  of  the  truest  and  bravest  men 
that  ever  marched  with  steady  step  to  the  music  of 
death — this  heroic  band  cut  its  way  through  dense 
masses  of  the  enemy's  columns,  severing  the  great  body 
of  the  army  from  its  base  of  supplies.  This  was  con- 
sidered at  the  time  one  of  the  most  wonderful  achieve- 
ments of  modern  warfare;  and  indeed  just  so  long  as 
supernatural  courage  is  admired  by  mankind,  will  ever 
mark  a  brilliant  page  in  the  annals  of  history.  Without 


40  WAR  REMINISCENCES  J5F  THE 

detracting  by  comparison,  from  the  well-earned  fame  of 
the  glorious  Stuart,  I  may  ask  that  a  flower  from  the 
garland  that  encircles  his  heroic  brow,  be  permitted  lo 
adorn  the  chaplet  of  a  much  younger  Confederate  sol- 
dier— one  who,  without  rank  or  command  at  that  time, 
but  acting  only  as  a  scout,  had  alone  blazed  the  way 
for  this  wonderful  exploit.  This  indomitable  scout 
proposed  the  method  and  guided  the  raid,  that  gave 
such  great  eclat  to  the  distinguished  cavalry  general. 
Mosby's  consummate  skill,  great  presence  of  mind,  and 
absolute  courage  ministered  in  no  small  degree  to  Stu- 
art's success  in  this  perilous  enterprise. 

When  memory  bears  our  fancy  back  into  the  dark 
period  of  the  war;  when  we  are  permitted  to  view 
through  the  lens  of  the  imagination,  the  storm-cloud 
of  despair,  mingled  with  hope,  that  lowered  for  four 
long  years  like  a  funereal  pall  over  our  loved  country ; 
when  we  take  a  retrospective  view  of  the  dazzling 
flashes  of  heroism  and  self-sacrifice  that  gave  for  a  brief 
period  a  silver  lining  to  that  sombre  cloud,  the  few 
bright  spots  shine  forth  with  a  vivid  glare,  like  a  green 
oasis  in  the  sandy  and  parched  desert,  falls  upon  the 
visions  of  the  weary  Arab  and  his  faithful  camel;  when 
the  fever  ,of  prejudice  and  the  present  paroxysm  of 
injustice,  gives  place  to  reason — we  may  expect  history 
to  speak  the  truth,  and  render  justice  to  the  purity, 
manhood  and  patriotism  of  Lee;  the  stern  faith,  Chris- 
tian integrity  and  wonderful  genius  of  Jackson ;  the 
beautiful  chivalry  of  Stuart,  and  the  incomparable  skill, 
dash,  and  courage  of  Mosby. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  41 

"Let  fate  do  her  worst,  there  is  something  of  joy  : 
Sweet  dreams  of  the  past  that  she  cannot  destroy  ; 
We  may  break,  we  may  ruin  the  vase,  if  we  will, 
But  the  fragrance  of  roses  will  cling  'round  it  still." 

Virginia  will  never  forget  such  sons,  let  cheap 
humanity  whine  and  fret  as  it  may.  The  carping  out- 
laws of  nature  and  the  desecrators  of  our  household 
gods  may  cast  the  slime  of  their  own  foul  natures 
against  the  bright  jewels  of  Virginia's  crown,  but  the 
halo  of  true  glory,  that  enshrines  their  noble  deeds  will 
illumine  and  expose  the  contemptible  malice  and  das- 
tardly meanness,  of  the  coarse  traducer  and  cowardly 
calumniator. 

He  who  risks  his  life  with  the  almost  absolute  cer- 
tainty of  death,  in  defense  of  his  country,  cannot  be  a 
bad  man,  or  a  traitor.  Of  the  four  bright  names  I 
have  written,  two  yielded  up  their  great  souls  on  the 
field  of  their  country's  honor.  They  died  with  their 
harness  on  in  the  discharge  of  an  almost  sacred  duty. 
No  country  can  demand  a  more  priceless  gift  offering 
than  Virginia  placed  on  the  altar  of  liberty,  in  the 
blood  of  her  Jackson  and  her  Stuart.  The  great  and 
pure-minded  Lee,  survived  the  dissolution  of  his  cause 
for  only  a  brief  period  of  time.  He  could  not  live 
after  his  country  died.  When  the  Virginia  that  gave 
Washington  to  the  world  and  many  States  and  states- 
men to  the  Union  was  maimed,  divided,  robbed,  and 
reduced  to  Military  District  No.  1,  by  the  reckless  con- 
queror; when  the  liberty  her  Washington  had  won  was 
lost  forever,  the  greatest  military  genius  our  continent 
has  known,  laid  down  his  unstained  life.  His  big  heart 


42  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

was  broken  by  the  shock.  With  the  exception  of  Cin- 
cinnatus,  our  Washington  offers  to  history  the  only 
example  of  refusing  absolute  power.  The  example 
of  Lee  has  no  parallel :  A  great  leader,  so  benign 
in  victory,  so  sublime  in  defeat,  who  could  pause,  with 
mingled  charity  and  philanthropy,  amid  the  ghastly 
carnage  of  the  battle-field,  and  when  the  sun  of  hope 
went  down,  he  placed  the  last  gift  offering — a  broken 
heart — upon  the  blasted  altar  of  his  country's  honor. 

Only  one  of  this  heroic  quartette  lives.     Mosby, 
whose  remarkable  military  achievements  makes  a  con- 
spicuous chapter  in  Virginia's  history,  survives  the  des- 
perate, unequal  conflict  of  arms,  that  yielded  so  curious 
a  conglomeration  of  glory  and  of  shame.     He  bears  on 
his  person  many  honorable  scars  received  in  defense  of 
his  country ;  yet  his  good  record  and  manly  service,  his 
unquestioned  patriotism  and  self-sacrifices,  protect  him 
not,  against  the  infamous  calumnies  of  political  assail- 
ants.    He  may  well  feel  proud  that  the  same  high 
spirit  and  chivalry  that  wor.  for  him  a  splendid  repu- 
tation in  war,  also  bequeathed  him  a  manly  indepen- 
dence in  time  of  peace.     History  has  often  borne  testi- 
mony, that  the  most  contemptible  and  faithless  mem- 
bers of  the  human  race  have  been  found  amongst  the 
politicians  of  every  age.     Strange  as  it  may  seem  to 
the  honest  reader,  this  brave  soldier  and  patriotic  Vir- 
ginian has  been   persistently  charged   with   political 
treason  to  his  State  and  the  people  he  loved  so  well  and 
defended  with   such   conspicuous   heroism ;  and  still 
more  strange,  the  charges  against  him  have  been  pre- 


SURGEON-  OF  MOSB  F'S  COMMAND.  43 

ferred  by  bombproof  political  demagogues  who  skulked 
to  the  rear  when  "red  battle  stamped  her  foot,"  and 
when  their  old  mother  Virginia  most  needed  the  aid 
of  her  true  children.  The  mercenary,  who  sold  beer, 
speculated  in  bread,  acted  the  part  of  quartermaster, 
and  robbed  the  soldier  of  his  clothing,  his  money  and 
his  food  during  the  war,  now,  with  bronzed  brow  and 
monumental  cheek,  steps  nimbly  to  the  front,  to  assail 
Mosby  for  want  of  patriotism.  Such  men  must  have 
an  alloy  of  zinc  and  copper  in  their  nature  sufficient 
to  mould  at  least  one  twenty-four  pound  brass  howitzer. 
From  many  recent  disclosures  in  high  political  circles, 
it  is  reasonable  to  conclude  that  of  such  chemical  ele- 
ments are  the  average  politicians  constructed.  From 
Titus  Gates,  who  was  flogjed  at  the  cart's  tail  through 
the  streets  of  London,  to  Secretary  Belknap,  who  was 
kicked  out  of  Grant's  Cabinet  for  what  common  peo- 
ple call  stealing,  the  world  has  no  good  cause  to  praise 
the  professional  politician.  Thomas  Paine,  a  politician 
of  no  mean  ability,  deliberately  insulted  mankind  by 
an  unprovoked  assault  upon  the  unstained  character  of 
Washington  and  the  holy  creed  of  Christ.  The  mod- 
ern political  blasphemer,  true  to  the  oblique  instincts 
of  his  vicious  nature,  feeds  upon  the  reputations  of 
good  men  with  the  voracious  avidity  that  a  hungry 
hyena  seeks  a  new-made  grave.  With  an  experience 
of  many  years,  and  a  contact  with  good  and  bad  men, 
with  great  men  in  small  places  and  small  men  in  great 
places,  with  honest  and  dishonest  men,  with  detestable 
hypocrites  and  pure  patriots,  with  men  of  unquestioned 


44  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

truth  and  with  the  most  notorious  liars,  I  write  with 
the  conviction  of  certainty,  that  Virginia  can  claim  no 
truer  son  or  braver  soldier,  nor  has  she  ever  given  birth 
to  a  more  honest  and  faithful  man  than  John  Singleton 
Mosby.  In  this  narrative  of  war  incidents,  mingled 
with  such  thoughts  as  the  stirring  events  of  the  time 
inspired,  I  am  anxious  to  avoid  misleading  the  reader. 
No  man  differs  from  the  political  views  of  my  distin- 
guished military  leader  more  widely  than  does  the 
writer.  But  the  man  who  knows  Mosby  and  can  doubt 
his  honor,  his  patriotism,  or  his  courage,  must  possess 
an  obliquity  of  thought  that  reflects  doubtful  credit  upon 
his  own  intellect.  Will  any  sane  member  of  society 
question  the  sincerity  or  integrity  of  the  martyr  while 
the  ligatures  that  bound  him.  to  the  stake  were  cutting 
into  his  living  tissues  ana  the  fierce  flames  scorching 
his  quivering  flesh?  Can  any  man,  not  a  politician, 
doubt  the  honor  or  the  patriotism  of  Regulus,  as  every 
revolution  of  his  cylinder  of  death,  thrust  torturing 
spikes  into  his  body?  When  such  questions  can  be 
answered  in  the  affirmative  with  truth,  then,  and  only 
then,  can  an  intelligent  mind  receive  the  revolting  doc- 
trine that  the  heroes  that  suffered  most  and  made  the 
greatest  sacrifices  for  their  country  are  traitors  to  its 
cause. 


SUMGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  45 


CHAPTER   V. 


?NE  week  from,  the  day  I  took  charge  of  my 
wounded  commander  he  expressed  some  impa- 
tience to  take  the  saddle  again  and  lead  his  gallant 
followers  to  the  front.  I  advised  him  to  bear  philo- 
sophically the  necessary  delay ;  that  it  would  yet  be 
many  weeks  before  he  could  with  safety  return  to  duty. 
His  convalescence  was  sufficiently  advanced  for  me  to 
leave  him.  He  gave  me  letters  of  introduction  to  his 
friends  in  Fauquier  county  and  the  officers  of  his  com- 
mand. I  left  him  in  the  care  of  his  family  and 
departed  for  the  stirring  scenes  of  partisan  strife.  One 
of  the  difficulties  that  awaited  me  in  preparing  for  the 
new  service  was  the  scarcity  of  horses  sufficiently  fleet 
for  that  peculiar  and  precarious  warfare.  The  class 
of  animals  used  in  the  regular  service  were  unfit  for 
the  extra-hazardous  risks  of  guerrilla  life.  The  safety 
and  efficiency  of  the  ranger  depended  much  upon  the 
fleetness  of  his  horse.  All  the  best  animals  within 
the  limits  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  had  been 
stolen,  captured,  or  pressed  into  service  by  the  ubiqui- 
tous quartermaster,  or  the  more  active  and  indefatiga- 
ble horse-thief.  At  this  advanced  and  unpleasant 
stage  of  hostilities  every  farmer  who  possessed  any 


46  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

property  worth  stealing  would  be  sure  to  hide  it.  Pro- 
visions of  every  kind  were  concealed  in  garrets  and 
cellars  or  buried  in  unfrequented  fields.  Horses,  mules 
and  cattle  were  often  picketed  out  in  forests,  or 
immured  in  subterranean  recesses  and  ice-houses.  All 
the  patriotism  of  the  South  was  in  the  army,  and  very 
little,  if  any  of  it,  could  be  found  with  the  home-stay- 
ing male  inhabitants.  The  true  test  of  patriotism 
was  not  found  in  the  father  who  would  freely  give  up 
his  youthful  sons  as  food  for  villainous  gunpowder, 
but  in  the  man  who  would  surrender  his  property  for 
the  common  cause.  I  have  known  many  instances  of 
parents  sending  young  sons  to  battle,  where  grim  death 
awaited  them,  without  pausing  to  consider  the  priceless 
value  of  patriotic  blood.  That  fluid  was  indeed  the 
only  cheap  commodity  during  the  strained  excitement 
of  war,  and  it  flowed  as  free  as  water  from  the  moun- 
tains to  the  sea.  But  who  amidst  the  insane  satur- 
nalia of  war,  can  forget  the  false  reasoning  and  bitter 
opposition  made  :by  the  parents  (who  had  given  their 
young  sons  to  slaughter)  when  the  dire  distress  of  their 
country  demanded  pecuniary  aid  in  the  way  of  slaves 
or  other  property  in  behalf  of  the  government?  The 
stern  law  of  necessity  justified  the  government  in  its 
merciless  demands  on  human  life.  Young  boys — mere 
children — were  driven  into  the  ranks  of  battle  and 
sacrificed  without  a  murmur  of  remonstrance.  Life 
was  cheap  and  blood  was  valueless.  Let  humanity 
blush  !  When  a  horse  or  mule  was  pressed  into  service, 
a  bullock  taken  to  feed  the  hungry  and  starving  sol- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  47 

diers,  or  a  slave  temporarily  taken  to  aid  in  the  con- 
struction of  earthworks,  or  fortifications  to  protect  the 
bodies  of  living  men  against  the  murderous  storm,  of 
shell  and  shot,  a  great  cry  went  up,  a  spirit  of  com- 
plaint was  heard  throughout  the  land,  wildly  proclaim- 
ing that  the  government  had  no  right  to  take  the 
property  of  the  people.  At  this  period  of  the  war, 
human  life  was  the  cheapest  commodity  in  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  not  excepting  its  irredeemable 
currency  itself.  That  uncertain  chimera  had  at  least 
a  constructive  value,  while  Southern  life  had  none. 

Notwithstanding  the  abnormal  love  for  property  and 
money  that  marked  this  unhappy  period,  and  so  often 
outweighed  the  love  of  country,  we  had  some  noble 
exceptions  to  the  general  rule.  I  found  one  man,  a 
plain,  unpretending  and  honest  farmer  in  the  county  of 
Albemarle.  This  man  possessed  a  liberal  disposition, 
a  good  conscience,  and  moderate  means.  His  kind- 
ness and  generosity  I  shall  not  soon  forget.  Mr. 
Adam  Via,  the  "  good  Samaritan,"  lived  near  the  vil- 
1  ige  of  Batesville,  a  hamlet  not  distinguished  for  its 
liberality  or  bigness  of  heart.  Like  many  Virginians 
of  the  remote  past,  he  had  a  well-developed  attach- 
ment for  fast  horses,  and  was  noted  for  keeping  the 
best  stock  in  his  section  of  the  county.  In  looking 
over  the  long  list  of  my  friends  and  acquaintances  in 
my  old  neighborhood,  it  occurred  to  me  that  if  any 
farmer  in  that  portion  of  the  Piedmont  region  had  a 
horse  fast  enough  to  help  a  partisan  ranger  out  of  a 
hard  place,  Mr,  Via  was  certainly  the  man.  Mosby 


48  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

had  informed  me  that  it  was  neither  proper  nor  safe 
to  engage  in  his  peculiar  methods  of  warfare  with  an 
indifferent  steed.  On  leaving  the  railway  train  at 
North  Garden  depot  I  proceeded  at  once  to  Mr.  Via's 
house,  a  distance  of  five  miles.  I  found  the  kind  and 
hospitable  gentleman  at  home.  He  seemed  to  be 
exceedingly  glad  to  meet  his  old  family  physician 
again,  and  I  was  equally  well  pleased  to  find  my  old 
patient  enjoying  excellent  health  and  cheerful  spirits. 
I  soon  told  him  that  I  was  en  route  to  Mosby's  com- 
mand, and  was  in  quest  of  a  suitable  horse  for  that 
wild  service,  and  desired  him  to  furnish  me  with  the 
best  animal  in  his  stables.  I  knew  full  well  that  the 
hard  experiences  of  the  war  had  made  most  men 
grasping  and  mercenary  in  proportion  to  the  uncer- 
tainty of  the  struggle,  and  fully  expected  my  old 
friend  would  place  a  high  price  upon  the  horse.  My 
pecuniary  resources  at  this  time  could  not  be  consid- 
ered in  a  very  robust  condition.  I  had  only  a  few 
months  before  this  visit  paid  the  sum  of  $162  (one 
month's  salary)  for  one  small  jug  of  butter-milk,  when 
Confederate  money  was  not  so  depressed  as  at  the  time 
of  this  interview.  I  was  prepared  to  learn  that  tbc 
price  of  an  extra  good  horse  would  ascend  to  the 
vicinity  of  $50,000,  if  not  higher.  ...I  confess  to  as 
much  surprise  as  pleasure  when  my  generous  friend 
said  he  had  the  very  horse  I  needed — a  beautiful  black, 
the  fleetest  horse  in  his  county,  and  could  leap  the 
highest  fence  on  his  farm.  It  was  his  favorite  horse  ; 
Jje  would  not  sell  him  at  any  price,  and  he  did  not 


SUKGfEON  OF  MOSJi  Y'S  COMMAND.  49 

think  it  right  to  take  a  soldier's  money,  so  he  would 
not  sell.  But  as  I  had  saved  the  lives  of  his  two  boys 
before  the  war,  before  I  should  be  captured  by  the 
Yankees  and  hung  for  the  want  of  a  good  horse  he 
would  consider  himself  guilty  of  murder,  and  he  could 
not  bear  the  idea,  and  would  never  forgive  himself  if 
I  should  be  hung  on  his  account;  that  if  I  would 
accept  the  horse  as  a  gift  he  would  be  pleased  to  pre- 
sent me  with  his  favorite  black.  From  the  uniform 
meanness  of  mankind  we  generally  expect  something 
of  the  same  sort  in  every  transaction  of  life.  A  sudden 
flash  of  grateful  generosity  takes  any  one  who  has 
suffered  much  intercourse  with  his  fellow-men  by 
surprise.  As  neighbor,  friend  and  physician  I  had 
known  Mr.  Via  for  seven  years,  and  esteemed  him  as 
a  kind,  genial,  honest,  good  man.  But  as  Confederate 
morals  when  weighed  in  the  balance  with  mercenary 
motives  had  declined  pari  passu  with  Confederate 
money,  I  was  in  no  intellectual  condition  to  expect  a 
farmer  of  moderate  means  to  bequeath  valuable  pro- 
perty in  consideration  for  only  a  sentimental  equiva- 
lent. I  accepted  the  valuable  present  from  my  gene- 
rous friend,  with  the  promise  that  should  I  fall  under 
the  shadows  of  the  black  flag  I  would  remember  his 
unselfish  liberality  on  the  very  threshold  of  another 
world,  and  if  favored  by  the  god  of  war  his  kindness 
would  be  returned  with  compound  interest. 

The  unequal  valuation  of  property  at  this  dark  and 
uncertain  era  of  civil  strife  could  not  be.  rationally 
explained.  The  soldier  in  the  field,  with  breast 


50  WAR  REMINISCENCES  3  Y  THE 

exposed  to  the  almost  unceasing  storm  of  death-deal- 
ing shot  and  shell,  was  rewarded  by  his  government 
with  twelve  so-called  dollars  of  Confederate  money  per 
month.  A  very  small  cup  of  bad  whiskey  (they  had 
no  glasses)  would  command  a  price  equal  to  a  half- 
month's  pay  of  a  soldier  in  the  ranks.  Five  years' 
pay  of  an  enlisted  soldier  would  not  buy  a  barrel  of 
flour  for  his  hungry  family.  November,  1864,  I  paid 
$480  (equal  to  a  major's  salary  for  three  months)  for  a 
pair  of  boots — and  very  indifferent  boots  they  were. 
Real  estate  did  not  rate  with  useful  commodities.  The 
price  of  two  barrels  of  .the  most  villainous  apple 
brandy,  or  still  meaner  and  more  plebeian  short  corn 
whisky,  would  purchase  an  average  Virginia  farm, 
with  dwellings,  out-buildings,  and  agricultural  imple- 
ments thrown  in.  A  wide-spread,  general  insanity 
pervaded  every  department  of  business.  Men  of  good 
reputation  for  industry  and  thrift — people  who  were 
never  before  even  suspected  of  lunacy  in  any  of  its 
forms — would,  under  the  excitements  and  hallucina- 
tions incident  to  war,  sell  their  lands  and  houses  for 
small  prices  in  Confederate  money,  and  forthwith 
invest  the  proceeds  in  Confederate  bonds  or  slaves. 
The  money  received  for  the  sale  of  many  of  the  best 
and  most  fertile  landed  estates  in  Virginia  can  yet  be 
found  safely  stored  away  in  old  hair-covered  trunks  in 
garrets  and  cellars  of  the  South  awaiting  the  blast  of 
Gabriel's  trump,  or  the  more  tardy  approach  _of  some 
equally  reluctant  financial^  redeemer. 


SURGEON  OF  MO&B  Y'S  COMMAND.  51 

The  beautiful  jet  black  steed  presented  to  me  would 
have  sold  for  a  sum  sufficient  to  purchase  several  hun- 
dred acres  of  fertile  land  in  the  fairest  portion  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  my  appreciation  of  the  generous  act  is  in 
just  proportion  of  its  value  at  that  time. 

One  incident  of  interest  only  I  remember  on  my  way 
to  the  county  of  Fauquier.  The  Piedmont  counties  of 
Virginia  were  at  that  time  infested  with  many  thieves, 
military  and  otherwise.  Marauders  and  footpads  fre- 
quently frightened,  robbed,  and  annoyed  the  wayfarer. 
In  passing  alone  on  horseback  through  the  northern 
borders  of  the  county  of  Greene,  two  uncouth  horse- 
men, with  shabby  uniforms,  badly  mounted,  and  armed 
with  rusty  carbines  and  unburnished  sabres,  halted  me 
in  the  road.  I  observed  that  they  were  much  more 
impressed  v/ith  the  appearance  of  my  handsome  black 
steed  than  with  the  looks  of  the  rider.  One,  the  uglier 
of  the  two,  in  ^a  very  rude  manner,  with  a  cracked  voice 
that  seemed  to  issue  from  a  fractured  bagpipe,  asked  in 
a  decidedly  impertinent  method  :  "  Whar  did  you  git 
him?"  "Get  what?"  I  replied.  "Git  that  fine  crit- 
tur?"  I  answered  them  in  as  Chesterfield-like  manner  as 
I  could  then  command,  if  they  were  soldiers,  deserters, 
or  horse  thieves?  This  question,  and  the  earnestness 
v/ith  which  it  was  put,  changed  their  method  of  pro- 
cedure. One  of  the  men  asked  what  regiment  I  served 
v/ith.  I  informed  him  that  his  inquiry  was  imperti- 
nent, and  I  knew  not  by  what  right  he  made  any 
demand  on  me;  but  I  would  condescend  to  satisfy  his 
very  unreasonable  curiosity,  provided  he  would  tell  me 


52  WAR  REMINISCENCES  ft  Y  THE 

what  officer  had  the  misfortune  to  command  such 
uncouth  ruffians  as  they  appeared  to  be.  Without 
seeming  to  be  at  all  vain  of  his  associates  in  arms,  one 
of  them,  and  the  uglier  of  the  horrid  twain,  said,  "  We 
is  McCauslan's  men ;  an'  I'd  like  to  git  that  hoss  you's 
ridin'."  Finding  the  interview  growing  more  unpleasant 
and  inclining  towards  a  more  serious  turn  than  at  first, 
I  at  once  concluded  that  a  bold  front  and  some  effron- 
tery could  be  made  to  equal  the  value  of  a  good  horse. 
Taking  a  pistol  from  the  belt,  I  announced  that  I 
belonged  to  Mosby's  battalion,  and  proposed  to  conduct 
them  to  their  command  as  prisoners  if  the  distance  was 
not  too  great;  and  if  so,  I  would  settle  the  legal  right 
to  our  horses  then  and  there.  The  uglier  of  the  two 
barbarians  assured  me  it  was  all  a  joke;  and  that  he 
had  heard  a  good  deal  about  Colonel  Mosby  and  his 
men,  and  he  liked  them  mightily  from  what  he  had 
"heered,"  and  he  had  no  notion  of  interfering  with  any 
of  them. 

These  fellows  looked  hungry,  haggard,  and  desper- 
ately bad — something  like  two  badly  constructed  ghosts 
in  Hamlet,  on  a  raid ;  but,  unlike  the  ghost  (so  far  as 
concerned  my  horse),  they  had  some  "speculation"  in 
their  eyes.  I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  discomfort  or 
unpleasantness  while  in  the  presence  of  these  very  hard 
specimens  of  the  Southern  soldier.  As  I  moved  off 
slowly,  they  were  disposed  to  follow  on  their  lean  and 
jaded  steeds.  I  turned  upon  them  and  made  them  under- 
stand in  very  plain  language  that  their  presence  was  not 
agreeable,  and  insisted  on  their  speedy  departure ;  which 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  53 

gentle  insinuation  they  understood  and  reluctantly 
withdrew.  Though  many  years  havo  passed  since  this 
trivial  though  disagreeable  incident  transpired,  I  yet 
distinctly  remember  the  criminal  expression  that  played 
upon  the  features  of  the  uglier  one.  His  dreadful  face 
revealed  coarse  brutality,  dull  sensualism,  and  habit- 
ual crime.  He  seemed  the  living  image  of  the  man  so 
graphically  described  by  Mr.  Thomas  Moore:  the  old 
wretch  discovered  by  the  Peri,  whose  life  was  portrayed 
in  the  lines  of  his  face,  that  told  of  "The  ruined  maid, 
the  shrine  profaned,  with  blood  of  guests  the  threshold 
stained."  I  can  but  think  that  if  the  devil  or  his  war 
department  had  use  for  a  standing  army,  he  would  be 
much  pleased  with  just  such  recruits  as  this  specimen 
private  of  McCausland's  brigade.  I  galloped  rapidly 
on,  through  a  forest,  endeavoring  to  obliterate  from 
memory  the  mental  vision  of  that  uncompromising 
hideous  face.  I  cannot  truly  say  at  this  late  period 
that  "his  bright  smile  haunts  me  still,"  but  I  have  a 
sort  of  superstitious  misgiving  that  the  same  demoniac 
physiognomy  may  confront  me  yet  in  another  if  not  a 
better  world. 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  from  the  painful  contemplation 
of  so  grim  a  subject,  to  view  the  brightest  phases  of 
human  nature.  There  is  something  radiant  as  well  as 
dark  in  our  lives.  I  cannot  well  describe  the  contrast 
between  the  kind  of  character  I  have  so  imperfectly 
delienated  here  and  the  pure,  intellectual,  and  social 
atmosphere  that  welcomed  me  on  my  arrival  at  the 
hospitable  mansion  of  Major  Richard  Henry  Carter,  of 


54  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

Fauquier.  I  reached  Major  Carter's  residence  (Glen 
Welby)  on  the  second  night  of  my  journey  from  Albe- 
marle.  I  was  fatigued  by  the  travel  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles.  Mosbyhad  notified  his  friends  of  my 
probable  arrival.  I  shall  iver  gratefully  remember  the 
cordial  welcome  and  warm-hearted  greeting  I  received, 
and  shall  always  regard  my  short  association  with  the 
refined,  gentle,  and  accomplished  family  of  Major  Car- 
ter as  one  of  the  brightest  and  most  pleasant  epochs  of 
my  life. 


SUKQEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  55 


CHAPTER    VI. 


H7HE  hospitable  and  elegant  mansion,  that  afforded 
}  shelter  to  Mosby  and  his  staff  was  owned  by  Major 
Richard  Henry  Carter,  and  was  situated  in  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  and  beautiful  regions  of  the  county  of 
Fauquier.  There  was  something  noble  and  elevating 
about  the  place  and  its  occupants  ;  a  spirit  of  chivalry, 
hospitality,  and  immaculate  patriotism  seemed  to  per- 
vade the  very  atmosphere  of  Glen  "Welby.  Even  in 
the  very  storm-centre  of  civil  war,  I  found  in  this  quiet 
and  pure  Virginia  home  the  purest  principles  of  reli- 
gion mingled  with  the  loftiest  sentiments  of  patriotic 
self-sacrifice.  Major  Carter  was  a  Virginia  gentleman 
of  the  old  school.  Before  the  invaders  had  stripped 
him  of  his  wealth  the  broad,  fertile  acres  and  warm 
hearts  of  Glen  Welby  gave  life  to  every  charitable 
enterprise,  and  shaped  the  refinements  of  fashion  for 
the  aristocracy  of  Fauquier.  I  have  never  invested 
much  faith  in  Utopias  of  government,  dreamed  of  and 
sought  by  the  ancient  philosophers  of  the  mythic  ages 
of  the  world.  Perpetual  motion  and  perfection  of  gov- 
ernment are  equally  difficult  to  attain,  and  only  exist 
in  bewildered  imaginations  and  abnormal  dreams. 
But,  so  far  as  Utopian  perfection  can  apply  to  the 


56  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

domestic  household,  the  happy  circle  of  the  bright  and 
noble  family  of  Major  Carter  offers  an  example  so  free 
from  the  contaminations  of  earthly  selfishness  that  I 
must  claim  for  that  accomplished  family  all  that 
humanity  can  attain  towards  the  Utopian  perfection  of 
domestic  life. 

Major  Carter  was  an  otricer  on  General  Lee's  staff. 
He  had  returned  home  on  a  short  leave  of  absence  to 
find  a  large  portion  of  his  fine  estate  laid  waste  by  the 
barbarous  cruelty  of  irresponsible  soldiers.  His  farm 
had  been  pillaged  of  horses,  mules,  slaves  and  sheep ; 
all  his  crops  either  stolen  or  destroyed  by  fire;  fences 
and  out-buildings  burnt ;  and  even  his  stately  mansion 
had  been  set  on  fire,  but  saved  by  the  superhuman 
efforts  of  its  brave  tenants.  How  cheerfully  this  noble 
family  bore  the  accumulated  misfortunes  visited  upon 
them,  only  because  they  gave  shelter  to  the  partisan 
leader,  presents  one  more  bright  page  in  the  history  of 
martyrdom  quite  refreshing  to  the  philosopher  when 
contrasted  with  the  usual  soiled  selfishness  of  mankind. 
No  complaint  or  murmur  ever  escaped  the  lips  of  a 
single  member  of  this  oppressed  family.  On  several 
occasions,  when  Mosby's  headquarters  were  attacked  by 
the  enemy,  and  all  their  provisions,  jewelry  and  cloth- 
ing stolen,  and  their  furniture  destroyed,  the  first  ques- 
tion I  have  known  the  heroic  ladies  of  that  household 
to  ask  when  the  storm  subsided  was,  "  Did  they  cap- 
ture any  of  our  soldiers  ?  "  forgetting,  as  it  were,  them- 
selves in  the  deep  interest  they  felt  for  the  cause  of 
their  country. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSJJY'S  COMMAND.  57 

The  cordial  reception  I  met  with  at  Glen  Welby 
caused  me  to  feel  as  much  at  home  as  if  I  had  only 
returned  to  the  presence  of  old  acquaintances  •  or  well- 
tried  friends.  Major  Carter  introduced  me  to  several 
officers  of  the  battalion  who  were  his  guests,  also  to 
his  estimable  lady,  accomplished  daughters,  and  charm- 
ing niece.  Their  graceful  hospitality  and  refined  cour- 
tesy caused  me  to  feel  more  like  a  member  of  that 
delightful  family  group  than  a  stranger  within  their 
gates.  Charming  conversation,  a  few  games  of  chess 
with  my  noble  host,  and  some  of  the  sweetest  music  I 
ever  heard  soon  passed  the  time  away.  Before  retiring 
for  the  night  my  new  comrades  informed  me  of  the 
best  modes  of  escape  should  the  enemy  make  a  raid 
upon  the  house  in  the  night-time.  Without  any  kind 
of  picket,  guard,  or  other  precaution  than  a  weasel  or 
a  fox  would  put  before  his  hole,  we  retired  for  the  night. 
This  was  the  first  night  during  the  four  years  of  war 
that  I  found  myself  within  the  enemy's  lines,  except 
when  engaged  in  actual  battle.  With  the  full  knowl- 
edge that  the  black  flag  was  our  only  ensign,  and 
that  we  had  no  guard  on  duty  to  give  alarm  at  the 
approach  of  the  enemy,  and  with  the  further  informa- 
tion that  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  was  encamped 
only  a  few  miles  from  our  resting-place,  and  that  our 
force  at  headquarters  consisted  only  of  two  officers 
besides  myself,  altogether  made  up  an  association  of 
ideas  not  calculated  to  act  the  part  of  a  soporific  upon 
the  nerves  of  a  newly-initiated  partisan  ranger.  The 
adjutant  of  the  battalion  was  a  brother  of  Colonel 


58  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

Mosby,  a  youth  not  quito  twenty  years  of  age,  yet 
partaking,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  of  the  peculiar 
characteristics  of  the  great  raider.  Willie  Mosby  was 
my  bed-fellow  for  the  night.  Wo  conversed  for  several 
hours  upon  the  stirring  events  in  which  ho  had  taken 
part.  He  spoke  lightly  of  the  dangers  by  which  we 
were  surrounded,  and  assured  me  there  was  less  peril 
fighting  under  the  black  flag  than  in  the  regular  ser- 
vice. He  argued  that  it  made  men  fight  much  harder, 
and  when  they  knew  that  no  quarter  would  be  granted 
them,  they  were  much  harder  to  catch,  &c.  I  confess, 
even  at  this  late  date,  that  his  arguments  were  neither 
soothing  nor  convincing.  The  chances  of  being  cap- 
tured and  hung  any  cold  morning  before  breakfast,  on 
an  empty  stomach,  and  by  strangers  with  whom  I  had 
no  sympathy  whatever,  was  not  calculated,  in  my  opin- 
ion, to  act  as  an  incentive  to  a  soldier's  appetite,  no 
matter  how  much  he  may  enjoy  the  old  belligerent 
system  of  long-range  conflict,  with  a  fair  prospect  of 
boarding  on  prisoner's  fare  at  the  expense  of  a  hostile 
government.  I  was  informed  by  Lieutenant  Mosby 
that  our  headquarters  were  liable  to  be  attacked  at  any 
hour ;  the  enemy  had  recently  made  a  raid  on  it ;  that 
they  always  attacked  at  night,  and  that  our  chances  of 
escape  consisted  in  being  well  armed,  and  either  escape 
at  one  door  as  they  broke  through  another,  or  cut  our 
way  through  their  columns  if  they  surrounded  the 
house,  as  they  frequently  did. 

He  gave  me  a  very  pleasant  account  of  the  last  hang- 
ing of  Yankees  that  took  place  at  Rector's  Cross-Roads, 


SURGEON  OF  MOSJ3  Y'S  COMMAND  59 

only  three  miles  from  our  headquarters ;  and  also  the 
unprovoked  hanging  of  seven  of  our  own  men  at  Front 
Royal,  for  which  the  cross-roads  affair  was  retaliatory. 
With  boyish  glee  he  seemed  to  enjoy  the  cold-blooded 
butchery,  by  deliberate  and  barbarous  strangulation, 
with  as  much  delight  as  to  crush  out  human  life  with 
the  more  dignified  and  gentlemanly  method  of  shell, 
shot  and  bayonet.  Juvenile  warriors  seem  incapable  of 
discriminating  between  a  dignified  and  time-honored 
system  of  murder  and  the  new-fangled  methods  that 
reflect  no  credit  upon  the  operator  at  all.  If  life  must 
be  taken  to  justify  the  whimsicalities  of  rulers,  or  to 
gratify  the  appetites  of  latent  philanthropists,  it  should 
be  taken  by  the  methods  that  will  do  most  good  and 
leave  to  posterity  healthy  precedents  that  will  save 
them  much  trouble  in  shedding  what  fashionable  peo- 
ple are  pleased  to  call  this  mortal  coil.  But  I  never 
could  see  what  special  advantages  could  be  derived  from 
this  peculiar  innovation  in  belligerent  ethics — of  hang- 
ing a  soldier  after  he  has  been  captured.  More  par- 
ticularly do  I  object  to  this  barbarous  precedence  if  I 
am  to  be  the  subject  of  this  unwarlike  experiment. 

My  first  night  at  Glen  Welby  (Mosby's  headquarters) 
was  well  spent  listening  to  the  narrative  of  the  battal- 
ion's adjutant,  William  Mosby.  He  related  with  boy- 
ish vivacity  many  interesting  encounters  with  the 
enemy,  in  which  our  brave  boys  were  victorious.  The 
adventure  with  Major  Blaizor  was  one  of  the  most  enter- 
taining as  told  by  the  Adjutant.  It  seems  that  a  des- 
perado named  Blaizor  had  offered  his  services  to  the 


60  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

old  government,  with  the  promise  that  he  would  vol- 
unteer to  capture  the  cunning  rebel  partisan,  Mosby, 
provided  the  government  would  permit  him  to  form  a 
company  of  one  hundred  picked  men  from  the  Federal 
army.  The  request  was  granted,  and  Blaizor  selected 
his  men.  This  command,  it  seems,  was  carefully  com- 
posed of  ruffians  like  the  rough  Blaizor  himself.  From 
the  description  of  this  specimen  officer,  I  presume  ho 
must  be  one  of  the  most  uncouth  bipeds  that  ever 
aspired  to  military  honors.  Hugo's  description  of  the 
savage  Cambronne  reads  like  the  picture  of  a  carpet 
knight  compared  with  the  ambitious  Blaizor. 

Willie  Mosby  in  his  boyish  style  tells  that  this  Yan- 
kee Major,  with  more  daring  than  judgment  or  pru- 
dence, at  the  head  of  his  desperate  band,  scoured  the 
counties  of  Clarke,  Loudoun,  and  Fauquier  in  quest  of 
his  prey.  Mosby  did  not  seem  to  be  at  all  disturbed 
by  the  preparations  and  manoeuvres  of  Blaizor.  About 
this  time  he  was  suddenly  called  to  Richmond  by  order 
of  General  Lee.  During  Mosby's  absence,  Major  Rich- 
ards was  placed  in  command  of  forty-five  men,  and 
ordered  to  find  Blaizor,  with  his  hundred  picked  vete- 
rans. The  two  commands  met;  Richards  command- 
ing forty-five  rangers,  and  Blaizor  in  command  of  his 
one  hundred  men,  chosen  from  a  huge  army  of  many 
thousands.  The  conflict  was  short,  sharp,  but  decisive. 
Blaizor  formed  his  command  on  a  hill;  Richards 
charged  him  with  his  small  force.  It  was  a  clear  field 
and  a  fair  encounter.  Blaizor  lost  nearly  half  his  com- 
mand killed  and  wounded;  the  remainder  captured, 


SURGfiON  OF  MOSS  Y'S  COMMAND.  61 

including  the  boastful  and  desperate  Blaizor  himself. 
The  gallant  Richards,  having  discharged  the  last  shot 
from  his  pistols,  unhorsed  Blaizor  by  a  heavy  blow  with 
the  butt  of  the  empty  weapon,  inflicting  a  severe  wound 
upon  the  scalp  of  the  aforesaid  Major  of  the  desperate 
command.  This  unwise  and  venturesome  officer  ami 
his  surviving  followers  were  placed  under  guard  in  tho 
care  of  Sam.  Alexander,  and  sent  back  to  Gordonsville. 
Sam  is  said  to  have  been  in  high  spirits,  partly  fnrii 
the  hot  blood  engendered  by  the  fierce  encounter  and 
partly  from  the  contents  of  a  tin  can  he  always  carried 
about  him.  He  became  instantly  on  intimate  terms 
with  the  discomfited  Yankee  Major,  offered  him  assis- 
tance from  his  tin  can,  and  attempted  to  cheer  him  up 
with  strong  apple  brandy. 

"Take  a  drink,  Blaze,"  said  Sam;  "it  will  do  you 
good  and  make  you  forget  your  troubles.  I  feel  sorry 
for  you,  Blaze."  Then,  slapping  the  unlucky  Major  on 
the  shoulder  with  that  insolent  familiarity  that  only 
intoxication  can  impart,  "Did  you  have  the  impudanco 
to  try  and  catch  our  Mose?  Why,  our  Mose  wouldn't 
condescend  to  fight  such  a  fool  as  you.  IIo  sent  little 
Dolly  Richards  arter  you,  with  only  half  a  company, 
and  you  see  what  you  got.  Blaze,  you're  a  fool !  Take 
a  drink,  Blaze;  and  if  you  ever  get  out  of  Libby  pri- 
son again,  let  somebody  else  get  up  an  army  of  a  thou- 
sand men  like  you,  Blaze,  and  then  come  and  see  us. 
Don't  you  feel  ashamed,  Blaze,  to  let  our  little  Dolly 
Richards,  with  a  handful  of  men,  catch  you  and  all 
your  hundred  wild  men?  Take  a  drink,  Blaze,  and 
don't  t^v  to  catoh  nnr  Mose  a^ain." 


62  WAR  REMINISCENCES  XY  THE 

The  dejected  Blaizor  followed  Sam's  advice  by  taking 
the  brandy,  but  we  never  heard  whether  he  returned  in 
quest  of  Mosby  any  more.  From  the  history  Major 
Richards  afterwards  gave  me  of  this  engagement,  it 
must  have  been  one  of  the  most  remarkable  victories 
of  the  war.  No  strategy  could  be  used,  no  ambush  or 
surprise,  but  a  fair,  open,  field  fight.  The  enemy  num- 
bered one  hundred  men,  all  selected  because  of  their 
supposed  fitness  for  the  desperate  work  before  them, 
and  Richards's  command  numbered  only  forty-five  of 
his  regular  rangers.  That  such  an  engagement  should 
result  iu  the  smaller  force  destroying  and  capturing  the 
larger  one  only  tells  of  the  determined  earnestness  of 
men  fighting  for  a  cause  approved  by  an  enlightened 
conscience  and  coarse  hirelings  who  only  fight  for  mer- 
cenary wages.  The  history  of  the  world  cannot  point 
to  a  solitary  page  that  tells  of  one  hundred  patriots 
being  defeated  by  forty-five  mercenaries.  Blaizor's 
followers  were  prompted  by  the  sentiments  of  fierce  bru- 
tality and  pecuniary  gain,  while  the  dash  of  the  parti- 
'sans  was  nerved  by  that  high  spirit  that  held  the 
Spartans  at  Thermopylae  or  Stonewall's  followers  at 
Cross  Keys. 


Of  HOSXY'S  COMMAND. 


CHAPTER   VII. 


71  FEW  days  before  my  arrival  at  Glen  Welby  one 
®^  of  the  most  daring  officers  of  our  battalion  had 
been  severely  wounded.  Lieutenant  Charles  Grogan, 
returning  from  a  raid  near  Fairfax  Courthouse,  had 
stopped  at  the  house  of  a  Union  man  named  Turner. 
While  at  the  break  fast- table  a  regiment  of  Federal 
cavalry  (the  Eighth  Illinois)  surrounded  the  house»and 
commanded  Lieutenant  Grogan  to  surrender.  The 
plucky  old  Roman,  who  attempted  alone  to  defend  a 
bridge  against  an  advancing  army  may  have  paused 
to  consider  the  chances  of  an  unequal  contest,  but 
Charles  Grogan  fell  in  the  desperate  effort  to  cut  his 
way  through  a  regiment  of  armed  men.  His  extraor- 
dinary courage  won  the  sympathy  and  admiration  of 
the  brave  fellows  he  so  earnestly  fought.  Surgeon  Nel- 
son, the  medical  officer  of  the  regiment,  examined  and 
dressed  the  wound,  advised  and  offered  his  services  to 
amputate  the  limb.  This  kind  offer  the  gallant  Gro- 
gan refused  to  accept.  I  visited  him  the  day  after  my 
arrival  at  Glen  Welby.  I  found  him  suffering  consid- 
erably from  the  severe  wound  he  had  received.  His 
newly-made  friend,  the  Yankee  surgeon,  had  failed  to 


64  WAR  REMINISCENCES  13  Y  THE 

remove  the  fragments  of  the  broken  bone,  and  the 
wound  was  in  a  very  unpromising  condition.  I 
noticed  my  patient  was  in  a  very  despondent  mood. 
I  carefully  examined  the  fracture,  removed  the  spiculse 
of  the  bone  that  caused  much  needless  irritation,  and 
left  him  more  comfortable  than  I  had  found  him.  On 
my  next  visit  I  discovered  that  he  was  more  depressed 
in  spirits  than  before. 

This  is  so  unusual  an  occurrence  with  men  of  uncom- 
mon courage  that  I  could  not  account  for  his  mental 
condition.  On  my  return  home  I  noticed  particularly 
one  of  the  charming  young  ladies  at  headquarters 
manifested  much  interest  in  the  condition  of  my  brave 
patient.  I  immediately  suspected  that  the  heroic 
officer  was  attached  to  the  fair  lady,  and  made  inqui- 
ries, with  a  view  to  a  correct  surgical  management  of 
the  case.  I  soon  learned  enough  to  decide,  with  as 
little  delay  as  possible,  to  remove  my  patient  to  Glen 
"Welby,  where  he  could  be  well  nursed  and  scientifically 
treated.  I  have  long  ago  observed  that  the  mental 
treatment  of  diseases  and  injuries  is  as  important  as 
their  physical  management.  Apart  from  the  romantic 
interest  of  this  particular  case,  I  can  now  assert  as  true 
that  in  a  very  active  professional  life  of  more  than  the 
fourth  part  of  a  century  I  have  never  known  more 
perfect  success  to  follow  the  psychological  management 
of  surgical  injury.  The  soul  has '  more  to  do  with 
repairing  physical  disorders  than  even  professional  men 
with  small  souls  can  be  made  to  comprehend.  I  shall 
ever  believe  that  the  fond  attachment  (or  what  young 


SURGEON  OF  MO&JBY'S  COMMAND.  65 

people  call  love)  for  a  charming  and  accomplished 
lady  had  much  more  to  do  with  the  recovery  of 
this  brave  officer  than  did  the  armamentum  medicum  at 
my  command.  The  extraordinary  bravery  of  this 
patient,  added  to  the  softer  sentiment  involved,  caused 
me  to  feel  more  than  an  ordinary  interest  in  his  recov- 
ery. Dr.  Nelson,  the  medical  officer  of  the  Eighth 
Illinois  regiment,  whom  I  afterwards  learned  was  an 
accomplished  surgeon,  had  already  given  an  unfavora- 
ble opinion.  He  had  advised  amputation  as  the  only 
means  of  saving  life.  A  compound  comminuted  frac- 
ture is  always  regarded  by  the  surgeon  as  a  dangerous 
wound.  I  caused  him  to  be  removed  from  Mr.  Tur- 
ner's to  Glen  Welby.  Mr.  Turner,  at  whose  house  he 
had  received  the  wound,  was  a  Union  man.  That  fact 
alone  I  believe  increased  the  despondency  of  my  rebel- 
lious patient.  The  rebel  nervous  system,  particularly 
in  Mosby's  command,  was  not  very  impressible  to 
Union  sentiments,  and  the  patriotism  of  Lieutenant 
Grogan  could  not  well  brook  the  presence  of  a  hostile 
nurse.  The  contrast  between  the  tender  care  of  a  beau- 
tiful nurse,  who  already  has  charge  of  a  patient's  heart, 
with  that  of  a  hateful  enemy  to  his  cause,  may  well  be 
considered  as  an  important  factor  in  the  ultimate 
recovery  of  a  doubtful  physical  injury.  I  have  never 
known  a  more  sudden  or  a  more  remarkable  improve- 
ment than  Lieutenant  Grogan  experienced  in  the 
change  from  a  loathed  to  a  loving  presence.  Under 
the  mystic  influence  of  the  pure  and  ethereal  sentiment 
of  unselfish  love,  the  color  of  life  returned  to  his 


66  WAX  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

blanched  features,  and  new  vitality  flowed  merrily 
through  the  withered  channels  of  his  veins.  Day  by 
day  this  rapid  convalescence  was  continued,  until  the 
success  of  perfect  recovery  crowned  the  efforts  of  psy- 
chological surgery.  Let  the  learned  votaries  of  mate- 
rial science  object  if  they  will,  I  assert  it  as  the  full 
conviction  of  mature  reason,  that  this  dauntless  life 
would  have  been  lost,  without  the  agency  of  that 
potent  though  mysterious  influence  offered  by  loving 
hearts  and  ministered  by  gentle  and  tender  hands.  As 
his  medical  attendant  I  claim  no  other  credit  for  this 
almost  miraculous  escape  from  the  embrace  of  appa- 
rently certain  death,  than  the  common  sense  that 
directed  the  change  from  the  care  of  a  diabolic  to  that 
of  an  angelic  nurse.  The  reader  may  be  naturally 
disappointed  by  the  sequel  of  this  rather  romantic 
narrative.  It  would  be  easy  enough  to  increase  the 
interest  of  the  reader  in  these  sketches  of  fact  were  I 
to  forget  the  demand  of  history  and  yiel  1  to  the  more 
pleasing  creations  of  fancy.  It  matters  not  how  bright 
the  realms  of  imagination,  and  how  beautiful  the  gems 
and  the  flowers  of  fiction,  the  unyielding  demand  of 
reality  so  shaped  the  lives  and  the  destiny  of  the  lovers, 
that  the  fairy  hand  whose  tender  care  saved  the  life  of 
the  gallant  soldier,  with  the  loving  heart  of  the  fair 
giver,  was  reserved  foe  the  happiness  of  another.  The 
fearless,  devoted  and  faithful  Lieutenant  submitted  to 
an  ordeal  infinitely  more  painful  than  wounds  or 
physical  anguish  can  bestow.  He  lived  to  see  the 
beautiful  Fairy  Queen  of  all  his  earthly  hopes  of  love 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  67 

become  the  bride  of  another,  and  that  other  a  fat  man 
of  more  than  two  hundred  avoirdupois.  A  lover  of 
such  dimensions  will  blot  the  record  of  the  most 
romantic  sentiment  on  earth. 

Mosby's  battalion  numbered  eight  hundred  men. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Chapman,  in  command  of  six  hun- 
dred, was  stationed  in  that  portion  of  Virginia  known 
as  Northern  Neck.  Major  Richards,  in  command  of 
two  hundred,  held  and  defended  the  counties  of  Fair- 
fax, Loudoun,  Fauquier,  Culpeper,  and  Clarke. 

Our  soldiers  were  quartered  in  squads  of  four  to  ten 
men  at  each  private  residence,  mostly  throughout  the 
county  of  Fauquier.  When  needed  for  action  they 
were  summoned  by  couriers  to  rendezvous  at  a  given 
point.  Within  a  few  hours  the  entire  command  would 
always  be  ready  for  a  "raid."  Almost  every  dwelling 
occupied  by  Mosby's  men  was  provided  with  trap-doors 
and  other  convenient  subterranean  hiding  places. 
Whenever  a  house  was  attacked  and  surrounded  by  the 
enemy,  a  trap-door  would  immediately  fly  open,  a  few 
soldiers  disappear  through  the  floor,  a  piece  of  carpet 
or  oil-cloth  would  then  be  thrown  carefully  over  the 
hiding  place,  after  which  a  fierce  search  for  rebels  would 
be  made  in  vain.  Major  Richards  lived  with  his  father 
at  Upperville.  The  old  Richards  mansion  was  of  course 
supplied  with  the  usual  holes  and  hiding  places,  to  be 
used  in  cases  of  sudden  emergency.  With  no  more 
notice  than  a  savings  bank  or  an  insurance  company 
gives  of  its  impending  insolvency,  a  squad  of  several 
hundred  Yankee  cavalry  from.  Winchester  made  a 


68  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

descent  upon  Upperville.  Like  many  of  the  sneaking 
varieties  of  wild  animals,  the  adventurous  raiders  would 
ul  \vays  select  the  most  inclement  weather  for  their 
unwelcome  visitations.  They  found  "  Dolly"  Richards 
at  home,  with  several  of  his  warlike  companions.  No 
sooner  did  the  butt  of  a  hostile  carbine  break  through 
the  panels  of  the  door  than  Richards  and  his  followers 
took  to  their  holes  through  the  floor.  The  surprise  was 
sox  sudden  and  complete  that  the  vigilant  Major  and 
his  comrades  had  no  time  to  save  their  clothing  and 
arms.  Richards's  beautiful  new  uniform,  with  hat  and 
gay  ostrich  feather,  fell  an  easy  capture  into  the  hands 
of  the  drunken  Yankees.  Major  Richards  was  a  man 
of  exquisite  taste.  His  uniform  was  of  the  most  unex- 
captionable  finish ;  his  hat  and  feather  were  considered 
the  most  stylish  in  the  entire  command.  The  drunken 
raiders  held  possession  of  the  house  for  several  hours, 
and  our  friends  remained  very  quiet  in  their  holes. 
"When  the  Yankees  left,  they  carried  away  with  them 
all  the  movable  property  found  about  the  house,  cloth- 
ing, provisions,  and  such  light  or  portable  articles  as 
could  be  conveniently  tied  to  their  saddles ;  leaving, 
indeed,  nothing  that  could  be  of  use  to  a  fashionable 
officer  in  the  way  of  clothing.  I  presume  that  the  four 
years  of  war  did  not  present,  in  a  single  instance,  such 
a  picture  as  this  dashing,  brave  and  handsome  Major 
offered  to  the  public  eye  after  he  emerged  from  his  hole 
in  the  floor.  An  old  suit  of  his  father's  clothing,  with 
the  blue  coat  of  horse  collar  and  sparrow-tail  cut ;  an 
old  bell-crowned,  black  beaver,  boots  several  sizes  tQQ 


&  URGEON  OF  MOSS  Y'S  COMMAND.  69 

large  for  him,  and  of  ancient  make,  and  pantaloons 
like  those  worn  by  Chatelard  when  found  in  the  cham- 
ber of  Mary  Stuart.  These  made  up  a  tout  ensemble 
altogether  too  strikingly  grotesque  to  describe.  The 
brave  Richards — disgusted,  incensed,  enraged — gath- 
ered his  followers  with  more  rapidity  than  Rhoderick's 
horn  could  possibly  have  summoned  his  highland 
clans,  and,  in  his  picturesque  costume,  gave  chase  to 
the  dishonest  invaders  of  his  quiet  household. 

The  Yanks  had  evidently  enjoyed  their  visit  to 
Upperville.  They  had  found  and  confiscated  a  large 
quantity  of  apple  brandy,  and  from  their  physical  con- 
dition had  evidently  used  this  contraband  commodity 
to  an  injudicious  if  not  a  damaging  extent.  The  entire 
command  seemed  profoundly  intoxicated.  They  had 
captured  a  few  prisoners  in  Upperville,  and  had  also 
loaded  their  horses  so  heavily  with  stolen  property  of 
every  kind,  that  even  had  they  been  sober  they  could 
not  have  escaped  the  pursuit  of  the  incensed  and 
avenging  Richards. 

A  curious  picture  of  war  did  this  drunken  cavalry 
present.  Their  horses,  laden  with  bags,  fowls,  pigs, 
and  small  articles  of  furniture,  tied  to  their  saddles, 
yelling,  singing  obscene  songs,  and  uttering  disgusting 
oaths — hotly  pursued  by  the  handsome  Richards,  clad 
in  his  father's  ancient  habiliments.  Two  Chinese  col- 
umns of  hostile  warriors  could  not  have  committed 
greater  violence  on  the  dignity  of  war  than  did  this 
unique  military  display.  Richards  had  gathered  about 
fifty  of  his  best  men  within  a  few  hours.  He  sent  a 


70  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

detachment  of  nearly  half  his  force  by  a  short  route  to 
obstruct  the  road  beyond  Paris.  With  the  remainder 
he  pursued  the  disordered  drunken  column  until  it  was. 
driven  into  the  murderous  ambuscade  prepared  for  it. 
The  engagement  was  a  one-sided  affair.  A  large  num- 
ber were  killed  and  captured.  Several  of  our  own  men 
that  had  been  captured  at  Upperville  were  recaptured 
in  this  engagement,  and  one  or  two  of  them  wounded 
by  our  own  bullets.  Dr.  Sowers,  one  of  our  best  sol- 
diers and  most  genial  companions,  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  fight.  Major  Richards  recovered  his 
stolen  uniform,  and  expressed  himself  well  satisfied 
with  this  adventure. 

One  of  our  scouts  brought  information  that  some- 
thing could  be  captured  in  the  vicinity  of  Alexandria. 
A  force  of  forty  men  was  immediately  dispatched  to 
that  locality.  When  in  view  of  that  city,  a  long  trai  n 
of  wagons  could  be  seen  winding  its  slow  and  tortuous 
course  along  in  the  direction  of  our  position.  There 
was  generally  a  strong  attraction — a  sort  of  affinity — 
existing  between  the  partisan  battalion  and  a  wagon 
•  train.  Our  boys  waited,  like  a  cat  awaits  the  appear- 
ance of  a  mouse,  until  the  coveted  and  tempting  prize 
approached  within  short  musket  range,  when,  at  a  given 
signal,  a  rapid  charge  was  ordered  upon  the  devoted 
teamsters.  A  strong  force  of  colored  troops  guarded 
the  train,  and  the  poor  Africans  fired  at  random,  and 
were  thrown  into  the  utmost  confusion  by  our  sudden 
and  unexpected  tdash  upon  them.  The  unfortunate 
creatures,  in  their  extreme  excitement  and  panic,  fired 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  71 

their  muskets  in  every  conceivable  direction  except  the 
right  one.  When  "Our  Boys"  closed  upon  them,  it 
was  a  sickening  sight  to  soe  the  miserable  barbarians 
scatter  and  hide  themselves  under  the  wagons  and  in 
the  adjacent  brushwood.  The  fight,  if  it  could  be  dig- 
nified by  such  a  name,  lasted  only  a  few  moments. 
Many  of  the  unfortunate  wretches  were  killed.  One  of 
the  number  who  escaped  that  fate  was  recognized  as 
the  property  of  Mr.  Armistead  Carter.  He  was  cap- 
tured. To  the  surprise  and  disgust  of  our  brave 
raiders,  the  wagon-train  did  not  afford  a  very  rich 
prize.  Instead  of  army  supplies,  the  wagons  were 
freighted  with  negro  corpses,  destined  for  a  kind  of 
African  Potter's  Field  only  a  few  miles  from  the  city. 
Our  boys  soon  recovered  from  their  disgust  and  disap- 
pointment. They  immediately  detached  the  horses 
and  mules  from  the  wagons,  and  cremated  the  entire 
train,  with  its  loathsome  cargo. 

Many  valuable  horses  and  one  live  negro  were  the 
results,  all  told,  of  this  enterprise.  The  negro  prisoner 
turned  out  to  be  almost  as  costly  as  Dr.  Franklin's 
whistle.  The  contraband  African  was  lodged  for  the 
night  at  our  headquarters,  and  made  to  sleep  in  the 
same  room  with  two  of  his  captors.  The  guard  was 
too  much  fatigued  to  keep  a  vigilant  watch  over  the 
colored  prisoner.  They  were  soon  asleep,  the  negro 
escaped,  took  one  of  our  best  horses,  and  returned  to 
Alexandria,  a  distance  of  more  than  forty  miles,  the 
same  night.  The  night  following  this  incident  the 
hospitable  roof  at  Glen  Welby  gave  shelter  to  the  fol- 


72  WAR  REMINISCENCES  £  Y  THE 

lowing  dramatis  personss:  Colonel  Welby  Carter,  ex- 
colonel  of  the  First  Virginia  cavalry;  Mosby's  Chief 
cf  Staff,  Colonel  Joseph  Black  well;  and  a  youth  of 
twenty  summers — all  these  occupying  an  upper  cham- 
ber. Adjutant  "Willie  Mosby  and  myself  shared  a 
room  with  the  wounded  Lieutenant  Grogan,  on  the 
first  floor  of  the  rear  section  of  the  house.  The 
weather  was  very  cold.  A  five-inch  snow,  with  a  hard- 
frozen  crust,  covered  the  ground.  My  friend  Grogan 
complained  of  his  wound,  and  desired  me  to  get  up 
and  relieve  him  of  pain.  I  remember,  with  the  dis- 
tinctness of  certainty,  the  incidents  of  that  eventful 
night.  It  was  not  more  than  half  an  hour  before  the 
dawn  of  day  when  I  had  relieved  the  pain  of  my 
patient  and  returned  to  bed.  I  had  scarcely  settled 
down  into  a  comfortable  position  for  a  morning  nap, 
when  a  sound,  but  not  a  "sound  of  revelry  by  night," 
jarred  most  unmelodiously  upon  the  rebel  ear.  The 
crushing  footsteps  of  a  thousand  soldiers,  breaking 
through  the  snow  crust,  as  they  stamped  rapidly  to 
warm  themselves  after  a  forty-mile  ride  through  the 
frosty  night  air,  mingled  with  the  ominous  thud  of 
the  carbine  butt  against  the  solid,  well-barred  doors  of 
the  stately  old  mansion,  made  altogether  the  most  un- 
pleasant combination  of  discordant  and  evil-boding 
sounds  it  has  ever  been  my  misfortune  to  hear.  With 
a  hasty,  ill-considered,  and  not  very  gentle  punch  in 
the  ribs  of  my  companion,  I  aroused  the  Adjutant. 
"Willie,  Willie,"  I  exclaimed,  "the  Yankees  have  sur- 
rounded the  house !"  The  word  "  Yankee  "  was  alone 


SUItGEOX  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  73 

sufficient  to  arouse  my  bed-fellow.  In  less  time  than  I 
have  ever  known  any  animal  to  awake,  Lieutenant 
Mosby  had  left  me  and  disappeared  in  the  dark.  I  shall 
not  easily  forget  the  feeling  of  utter  helplessness  that 
seized  me  at  that  moment.  In  our  hottest  and  heavi- 
est battles,  when  death  seemed  certain  and  inevitable 
there  was  no  sensation  half  so  unpleasant  or  dreadful 
as  the  horrible  apprehension  of  a  capture  by  night 
and  a  hanging  in  the  morning.  In  that  half-bewil- 
dered state  that  I  suppose  a  stranger  might  feel  when 
standing  at  the  gate  of  Pluto's  dark  dominion,  in 
gloomy  contemplation  of  the  greeting  he  shall  receive, 
I  appealed  to  Lieutenant  Grogan  for  advice. 

"  They  have  got  me,  Grogan,  I  believe.  What  shall 
I  do?" 

"  0,  don't  give  it  up,  Doctor.  If  you  can't  do  any 
better,  get  out  on  the  house  top." 

I  confess  that  I  did  not  feel  very  wise  just  at  that 
moment,  but  a  hint  to  me  was  sufficient.  I  sprang 
from  my  covering,  seized  my  clothing,  boots  and  pis- 
tol, and  hastened  with  all  speed,  first  into  the  hall, 
then  up  the  first  flight  of  steps.  It  was  very  dark. 
Just  as  I  landed  upon  the  second  floor,  I  ran  against 
some  small  living  and  moving  object.  It  turned  out 
to  be  one  of  the  little  negro  girls  that  waited  on  the 
ladies  of  the  house.  The  young  creature  led  me 
through  the  dark,  up  another  flight  of  steps,  and  indi- 
cated, in  a  whisper,  the  way  through  the  garret  and 
out  upon  the  roof. 


74  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


ROPING  my  uncertain  way  through  a  garret,  filled 
with  broken  furniture,  old  boxes  and  general  rub- 
bish, and  guided  by  the  indistinct  light  that  proceeded 
from  a  small  window,  opening  above  an  adjacent  roof, 
I  moved  with  cautious  haste,  inspired  by  the  fear  of 
capture  and  the  attendant  apprehensive  certainty  of 
an  ignominious  death.  I  succeeded  in  reaching  the 
small  window,  and  found  it  open.  It  was  the  labor  of 
less  than  a  moment  to  tumble  my  clothing  and  boots 
through  the  window  and  out  upon  the  roof.  I  then 
crawled  after  my  baggage,  and  closed  the  window 
behind  me.  I  found  that  Adjutant  Mosby,  who  had 
disappeared  so  suddenly  from  my  bed  and  room,  had 
preceded  me  to  this  elevated  place  of  safety.  The 
lieutenant  was  lying  prostrate  upon  the  roof.  The 
snow  had  been  thawed  by  the  sun  on  all  that  portion 
of  the  roof  not  shaded  by  the  gable-wall  of  the  house, 
My  comrade  in  misfortune  was  lying  half  way  upon 
the  snow;  the  remaining  half  of  his  handsome  though 
meagrely  clad  person  reclined  upon  the  cold  tin  with 
which  the  roof  was  covered.  With  a  view  to  the  con- 
cealment of  myself  and  friend,  I  assumed  a  horizontal 
position  immediately  upon  him,  and  drew  my  overcoat 
over  both. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  75 

While  this  very  quiet  and  unostentatious  process  of 
''nest  hiding"  was  being  most  faithfully  executed,  our 
boisterous  pursuers  were  indeed  making  a  great  noise. 
Their  harsh  voices,  mingled  with  oaths  and  diabolical 
threats,  were  heard  in  every  room  of  the  house.  The 
rough,  jarring  and  unmusical  sound  of  the  axe,  as  it 
crushed  through  resisting  and  well-barred  doors,  con- 
tained no  melody  for  tho  sensitive  ear  of  the  nervous 
rebel.  We  were  scarcely  settled,  and  could  not  have 
been  considered  comfortable  in  our  lofty  perch,  when  a 
''Yank,"  out  of  several  who  had  followed  us  to  the 
garret,  more  adventurous  and  enterprising  than  his 
companions,  came  up  to  the  very  window  through 
which  we  made  our  exit,  and  flashing  his  lantern  in 
our  faces,  made  use  of  the  most  undignified  epithets  I 
have  ever  heard.  In  stentorian  tones  he  swore  that 
many  unsanctified  and  unblessed  rebels  were  yet  in  the 
house  and  he  would  not  give  up  the  chase  until  all  were 
killed  or  captured.  In  my  cold  and  helpless  situation 
I  could  distinctly  hear  the  uncouth  and  broken  accent's 
of  drunken  foreigners,  quarreling  over  the  stolen  prop- 
erty they  were  dividing  below.  Presently,  a  loud  voice, 
in  the  rough  brogue  of  Erin,  proceeding  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  stables,  proclaimed,  "I  say,  b'ys,  this  is 
no  scrub  of  an  'orse."  I  knew  at  once  that  my  beauti- 
ful black  stallion,  the  gift  of  my  old  friend  Via,  of  Albe- 
marle,  was  about  to  depart,  like  Ajut,  never  to  return. 

It  is  difficult  to  describe  the  sensations  of  a  full- 
blooded  rebel,  as  he  crouched  low  upon  the  cold  tin 
roof,  with  the  lamps  of  the  cruel  and  ferocious  foe 


76  WAR  REMINISCENCED  B  Y  THE 

flashing  in  his  face.  Inspired  by  that  extreme  tension 
of  the  nervous  system  that  only  the  terrible  suspense 
of  life  or  death  can  create,  I  was  better  prepared  to 
resign  my  beautiful  steed  to  the  hands  of  the  despised 
enemy  than  I  would  have  been  had  my  own  corporate 
safety  been  better  insured. 

The  scenes  and  sensations  of  that  unpleasant  night 
can  be  much  better  remembered  than  described.  Wil- 
lie Mosby  was  lying  face  down  with  his  body  partly  on 
the  snow-covered  portion  of  the  roof  and  partly  on  the 
naked  tin.  The  morning  air  was  cold  and  frosty.  My 
comrade's  costume  would  have  been  much  more  com- 
fortable under  the  direct  rays  of  a  tropical  sun  than 
the  frigid  ordeal  of  the  frozen  house  top.  The  lieuten- 
ant was  as  brave  any  youth  could  be.  He  had  never 
flinched  in  the  deadly  charge.  With  boyish  glee  he 
would  rush  through  t-he  sulphurous  blaze  of  battle  and 
coquette  with  death  at  the  cannon's  mouth.  But  to 
respose  with  scant  clothing  on  a  very  cold  roof,  with 
the  skeleton  Death  in  his  most  hideous  and  offensive 
garb  looking  him  full  in  the  face,  was  a  refinement  of 
mental  persecution  too  far  above  the  temper  of  nerve 
endurance  for  a  youthful  soldier  to  bear. 

It  is  said  that  when  a  man  in  the  flush  of  mental 
vigor  and  physical  health  is  brought  suddenly  face  to 
face  with  death,  a  panoramic  view  of  all  his  past  acts, 
both  of  good  and  of  evil  report,  passes  with  the  rapid- 
ity of  an  electric  flash  before  his  mind;  that  the  scenes 
of  a  long  life  are  condensed  within  a  period  of  a  few 
seconds  of  time.  If  the  sublime  and  the  ludicrous 


SURGEVN  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  77 

were  ever  compressed  within  a  more  concentrated  focus 
of  thought  than  the  scenes  that  passed  at  Glen  Welby 
on  that  night  presented,  the  occasion  has  never  come 
under  my  observation.  The  youthful  and  chivalrous 
adjutant  of  that  gallant  band  of  heroes,  Mosby's  bat- 
talion, was  lying  upon  the  snow  and  cold  tin  roof,  with 
his  toes  keeping  time  to  the  rapid  mutations  of  his  fool- 
ings,  like  the  gentle  vibrations  of  the  aspen  leaf  when 
moved  by  the  soft  current  of  the  south  wind. 

I  have  ascribed  the  rattling  sound  of  the  adjutant's 
toes  upon  the  tin  roof  partly  to  the  extreme  cold  of  our 
exposed  position  and  partly  to  the  varying  emotions  of 
hope  and  despair  that  alternately  played  upon  his 
brave  young  heart.  The  surgeon,  superimposed  upon 
the  prostrate  form  of  the  adjutant — both  occupying  as 
limited  an  area  as  possible  upon  the  house  top — pre- 
sented a  scene  that  would  defy  the  accomplished  genius 
of  a  Cruikshank  or  the  more  clumsy  pencil  of  a  Nast. 
In  making  my  exit  from  the  garret  I  had  dropped  my 
neck  tie  and  collar.  The  wretched  "  Yank  "  who  fol- 
lowed so  closely  at  my  heels  found  these  small  articles, 
and  I  could  distinctly  hear  his  uncouth  comments  upon 
these  unimportant  though  significant  objects  of  his 
search.  My  cavalry  boots,  with  huge  brass  spurs 
attached,  had  been  hastily  and  carelessly  thrown  out 
upon  the  roof,  immediately  in  front  of  the  small  win- 
dow that  had  afforded  us  egress  from  the  garret.  I  was 
anxious  to  remove  the  boots  from  their  rather  promi- 
nent position,  for  fear  they  would  be  seen  by  the  enemy 
and  lea'd  to  our  discovery,  Adjutant  Mosby  was 


78  WAR  REMINISCENCED  B  Y  THE 

toring  something  in  a  very  low  or  subdued  voice,  while 
the  light  from  the  garret  window  was  throwing  its  most 
unwelcome  rays  upon  us.  Everything  was  still  as 
could  be,  so  far  as  the  fugitives  were  concerned,  except 
the  gentle  though  continuous  rattling  of  the  adjutant's 
toes  upon  the  tin  roof.  At  last  I  heard  the  voice  of 
my  comrade  more  distinctly,  and  could  construe  his 
almost  inarticulate  muttering  into  a  most  awkward  effort 
at  prayer.  Willie  was  not  a  pious  boy.  He  had  evi- 
dently never  before  attempted  to  intrude  upon  the 
Throne  of  Grace  with  anything  like  a  petition  regard- 
ing his  earthly  wants  or  eternal  aspirations.  He  was 
certainly  as  awkward  in  prayer  as  old  Jim  Bludsoe  was 
said  to  be  in  a  "row."  But  Willie  did  the  best  he 
could  in  his  uncomfortable,  if  not  desperate,  situation. 
He  was  almost  as  ignorant  in  matters  of  theology  as 
was  the  old  sailor  in  a  storm,  who,  when  asked  to 
pray,  acknowledged  bluntly  that  he  knew  nothing 
about  it.  As  the  danger  grew  more  imminent,  he  was 
again  requested  to  do  something  pious,  when  the  honest 
old  tar  offered  his  services  to  carry  the  hat  around  to 
take  up  a  collection,  that  being  the  only  duty  apper- 
taining to  religion  that  he  knew  anything  about.  So 
it  was  to  a  certain  extent  with  my  anxious  companion 
in  tribulation.  He  certainly  knew  very  little  about 
preparing  artistic  petitions  to  the  Giver  of  all  mercies. 
He  made  a  complete  failure  at  the  only  attempt  he  pro- 
posed at  the  Lord's  Prayer,  struck  one  line  of  the  sweet 
little  nursery  prayer,  "  When  I  lay  me  down  to  sleep," 
&c.,  and  seemed  to-  appreciate  the  inapplicability  of 


SURGEON  OF  MOSHY'S  COMMAND.  79 

that  sentiment  to  our  unhappy  condition.  He  then 
branched  off  upon  detached  portions  of  the  morning 
service  of  the  Episcopal  church,  and  diverged  upon 
the  litany  for  a  line  or  two. 

While  all  these  mumbling  and  decidedly  unsuccess- 
ful efforts  at  extemporaneous  piety  were  progressing,  I 
was  diligently  endeavoring,  with  one  hand,  to  remove 
my  heavy  boots,  with  their  large  spurs  attached,  from 
the  rather  ostentatious  position  they  occupied  immedi- 
ately in  front  of  the  window.  At  each  movement  of 
the  boots,  their  friction  against  the  cold,  dry  tin-roof 
made  an  alarming  noise.  My  poor  companion,  hear- 
ing the  grating,  would  stop  his  earnest  orisons  and 

appeal  to  me,  in  whispered  oaths,  to  "stop  that  d d 

noise  or  we  would  be  discovered  and  hung  as  sure  as 

h 1."     I  would  obey  his  command  and  desist  for  a 

few  seconds  of  time.  My  peculiar  position  and  state  of 
mind  at  that  time  made  me  very  obedient,  and  prone 
to  accept  any  suggestion  my  more  youthful  though 
practiced  partisan  comrade  might  feel  disposed  to  make; 
but  when  the  big  Yankee  in  the  garret  would  throw 
the  rays  of  his  lantern  through  the  small  attic  window 
full  upon  the  boots,  I  would  again  act  on  my  own  judg- 
ment and  discretion  and  make  another  effort  to  get  them 
out  of  the  luminous  range  of  that  annoying  lantern. 
With  unusual  and  constrained  earnestness  would  Lieu- 
tenant Mosby  continue  to  offer  up  his  broken  fragments 
of  borrowed  and  heterogeneous  petitions.  "Good  Lord," 
he  would  say,  with  energetic  though  whispered  unc- 
tion, "  We  have  done  many  things  we  ought  not  to  have 


80  WAS  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

done,  and  there  is  mighty  little  help  in  us."  On  a 
slight  movement  of  the  boots,  with  the  attendant  grat- 
ing sound  upon  the  tin  roof,  he  would  change  his  tone 

and  address  me,  in  a  sharp  whisper,  "  Stop  that  d d 

noise,  they  will  hear  you."  Then  he  would  mumble 
again  into  the  merciful  ear  of  Jehovah,  "  We  have  left 
undone  many  things  that  we  ought  to  have  done  (let 

them  d d  boots  alone)  and  have  mercy  upon  us, 

good  Lord!     (If  these  d d  scoundrels  catch  us,  it 

will  be  your  fault,  d n  you.)     Have  mercy  on  all 

sick  children  and  women  in  the  perils   of (them 

d d  boots  will  be  the  death  of  us.     Stop  that  noise, 

by  G— d,  stop  it!") 

While  this  quaint  commingling  of  sentiment  and 
sin — of  superstition  usurping  the  place  of  religion — 
and  that  grotesque  absurdity,  faith  born  of  fear,  was 
acting  the  part  of  vicarious  consolation  for  a  terrified 
soul;  while  oaths  and  orisons  were  devoutly  blended 
in  all  the  mazes  of  fantastic  confusion,  on  the  house- 
top, scenes  of  no  ordinary  interest  were  transpiring  in 
other  portions  of  the  hospitable  old  mansion.  The 
room  occupied  by  Colonel  Wei  by  Carter,  Joe  Black  well 
and  young  Waller  was  not  altogether  devoid  of  inte- 
rest. Young  Waller^  a  youth  of  twenty,  was  a  near 
relative  of  the  President  of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 
He  had  been  with  the  partisan  command  but  a  few 
months,  yet  was  experienced  enough  in  H.  W.  Beech- 
er's  art  of  "nest-hiding"  to  elude  the  cunning  search 
of  the  attacking  party  on  that  eventful  night.  With 
the  assistance  of  a  serving-woman  of  color,  who  yet 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  81 

loved  her  old  master  too  well  to  leave  the  generous  and 
classic  shades  of  Glen  Welby  to  follow  the  ignis  fatuus 
of  Yankee  promise,  young  Waller  ascended  to  the  top 
of  an  old-fashioned  wardrobe,  and  there  remained  as 
secure  as  the  infant  Moses  in  his  protecting  bed  of 
rushes,  until  the  search  was  ended. 

The  wardrobe  was  inspected  and  removed  some  dis- 
tance from  the  wall,  with  this  young  ranger  on  the  top 
of  it,  yet  he  remained  very  quiet  and  said  not  a  word 
until  the  rough,  unceremonious  and  uninvited  visitors 
left  the  house.  He  very  quietly  held  his  position  until 
the  storm  subsided,  then  came  down  with  an  air  of 
self-satisfied  innocence  difficult  to  imitate  and  still 
harder  to  describe. 

The  other  occupants  of  the  same  room  were  not  so 
fortunate  as  young  Waller.  Colonel  Welby  Carter  and 
Chief-of-Staff  Joe  Blackwell  slept  together.  Colonel 
Carter  was  not  connected  in  any  manner  with  Mosby's 
command.  He  had  distinguished  himself  for  extraor- 
dinary courage  at  the  first  battle  of  Manassas,  while  in 
command  of  a  company  of  cavalry,  and  he  won  his 
promotion  to  the  command  of  the  First  regiment  of 
Virginia  cavalry  by  gallant  conduct  in  the  field.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  this  officer  won  his  spurs  by 
that  honest  discharge  of  duty,  and  knightly  courage, 
that  demands  the  respect  and  admiration  of  his  brave 
comrades,  he  was  tried  by  a  dishonest  military  court, 
and  deprived  of  his  rank,  through  the  perfidy  of  a 
superior  officer  and  the  corruption  of  his  subordinates. 


82 

Colonel  Carter  was  the  only  regular  at  Mosby's  head- 
quarters the  night  of  the  raid.  He  was  captured 
before  he  could  get  out  of  his  room.  His  fat  bed 
fellow,  Joe  Blackwell,  known  as  Mosby's  chief  of  staff, 
was  not  tall  but  very  corpulent.  He  resembled  the 
stage  representations  of  Falstaff,  only  ne  was  more 
obese  and  not  so  old  as  the  gallant  Briton  whose 
numerous  foes  wore  buckram.  Joe  Blackwell  had 
an  honest  dread  of  Yankees.  Though  his  aversion 
and  dislike  for  the  invaders  was  very  great,  his  fear 
of  these  much  abused  people  was  much  greater.  They 
had  burnt  his  dwelling  and  destroyed  his  other 
property,  because  he  had  given  shelter  to  Mosby.  He 
had  formed  an  erroneous  impression  in  regard  to  the 
enemy.  He  conceived  that  their  purpose  in  visiting 
Fauquier  county  so  often  was  not  general,  but  personal 
He  believed,  no  matter  how  large  the  hostile  force  that 
visited  his  county,  they  came  with  but  a  single  object 
and  that  was  to  capture  and  hang  the  man  whose 
property  they  had  destroyed.  His  peculiar  aversion, 
mingled  with  a  morbid  fear  of  the  enemy,  became  the 
frequent  topic  of  conversation  and  comment  at  the 
table,  in  the  parlor,  and  at  all  the  social  gatherings  of 
his  friends.  It  was  a  well  cultivated  apprehension  he 
entertained  for  the  common  enemy.  His  peculiarly 
impressible  condition,  on  this  unpleasant  subject,  pre- 
pared him  for  more  than  usual  excitement  on  the 
occasion  of  this  unexpected  attack  on  our  headquarters. 
It  is  not  an  easy  matter  for  the  most  lively  imagination 


SVRGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  83 

to  conceive  the  sensations  of  Joe  Blackwell  when  he 
discovered  the  startling  fact  that  one  thousand  hostile 
horsemen,  on  blood  intent,  surrounded  his  defenseless 
sanctum.  Nothing  less  than  the  certainty  of  immedi- 
ate dissolution  could  have  inspired  the  helpless,  and 
almost  hopless,  chief  of  staff,  to  the  absolutely  desperate 
effort  before  him.  From  my  elevation  position,  I 
neard  a  great  noise  and  commotion  below.  Rough 
oaths,  loud  laughter,  and  the  sharp,  quick  reports  of 
carbines  told  of  some  desperate  or  ridiculous  incident. 
Joe  Blackwell  had  sprung  from  his  bed,  with  only  two 
articles  ot  clothing  about  his  person,  and  leaped  from 
an  upper  window,  not  less  than  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground,  into  the  midst  of  his  enemies.  The  Yankees 
shouted,  yelled,  laughed,  fired  on-  him,  and  gave  chase. 
Blackwell  weighed  not  less  than  two  hundred  pounds  ; 
he  was  very  fat.  I  am  satisfied  no  fat  man  ever  made 
better  time  than  the  frightened  chief.  Propelled  by 
the  wild  and  gloomy  emotion  of  utter  despair,  he  dash- 
ed off  like  a  frightened  deer  pursued  by  hounds.  With 
the  force  gathered  by  the  avalanche  in  its  furious 
descent  from  the  cloud-capped  mountain-top,  the 
excited  chief  rushed  headlong  from  his  swift  pursuers. 
He  struck'  the  garden  fence  in  his  mad  career  and 
broke  through  an  entire  panel.  Rushing  like  Mazep- 
pa's  steed  through  the  enclosure,  he  swept  another 
panel  of  fence  before  him  and  gained  an  open  field. 
Here  the  chase  became  as  exciting  and  interesting  as  a 
first-class  horse  race.  I  could  see,  from  the  house-top, 


84  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

a  large,  white  object,  that  seemed  to  roll  rapidly  for- 
ward like  some  huge  snowball,  followed  speedily  by 
many  dark,  fast  moving  figures,  until  the  white  thing 
seemed  to  strike  a  high  stone  fence,  over  which  it 
rolled,  without  any  perceptible  diminution  of  speed, 
continuing  its  onward  course  until  it  disappeared 
over  a  distant  hill.  The  dark  objects  in  pursuit 
stopped  at  the  stone  fence  and  slowly  returned  to  the 
house. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSJBY'S  COMMAND.  85 


CHAPTER  IX. 


7]  BOUT  the  time  the  chase  of  Joe  JBlackwell  ended, 
fop- the  first  faint  rays  of  daylight  could  be  marked 
along  the  eastern  horizon.  Lieutenant  Mosby  con- 
tinued mumbling  his  heterogeneous  prayers,  while 
fresh  dangers  gathered  around  us.  We  knew  that  day- 
light would  discover  our  hiding  place,  and  just  as  I 
prooosed  to  my  unhappy  companion  the  propriety  of 
crawling  Dack  into  the  garret,  the  rattling  fire  of  pis- 
tols in  the  yard  beneath,  told  of  another  change  in  our 
kaleidoscope  of  chance.  The  bullets  whistled  distinct- 
ly and  seemed  to  pass  near  us.  I  whispered  to  my 
companion:  "Willie,  they  have  discovered  and  are  fir- 
ing at  us."  "Oh!  My  God,  what  shall  wo  do,  may  the 
good  Lord  have  mercy  on  our  souls,"  muttered  the 
lieutenant,  in  his  most  devout  accents.  Whether  the 
fortunate  sequel  of  this  temporary  unpleasantness  can 
be  ascribed  to  the  efficacy  of  the  prayers  offered  by  my 
pious  comrade,  I  know  not,  but  he  has  frequently  re- 
marked since,  that,  if  he  were  submitted  to  the  same 
terrible  ordeal  again,  he  would  certainly  repeat  the 
prayers  with  unshaken  faith  in  the  consummation  of 
the  same  results.  The  firing  in  the  yard  below  was 
occasioned  by  a  desperate  charge  of  three  of  our  gal- 


86  WA  R  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

lant  boys  upon  the  whole  regiment  of  Yankee  cavalry. 
When  the  column  of  cavalry  passed  White  Plains  en 
route  to  Mosby's  headquarters,  three  of  our  brave  boys, 
quartered  at  that  place,  suspected  their  purpose,  and 
endeavore.1  to  reach  Glen  Welby  before  them  and  give 
the  alarm.  But  the  negro  prisoner  who  had  escaped 
the  night  before  acted  a?  guide  for  the  enemy  and  con- 
ducted them  by  the  most  direct  route.  When  our 
three  friends  arrived,  the  Yankees  had  been  with  us 
more  than  half  an  hour.  The  brave  boys  were  too  late 
to  give  us  notice  of  approaching  danger,  but  were  at 
last  in  time  to  save  us  from  capture.  They  rode  into 
the  midst  of  the  eneiny  and  fired  a  volley  into  their 
ranks.  The  whole  regiment  was  mounted  in  an  instant 
and  pursued  our  friend  in  hob  haste.  This  move  I 
shall  ever  believe  had  much  more  to  do  with  our  safety 
than  did  the  prayers  and  oaths  of  my  pious  young 
comrade,  Lieutenant  Mosby. 

With  profound  sensations  of  relief  that  followed  the 
departure  of  the  enemy,  we  slowly  descended  from  the 
house-top.  Out  of  five  rebels  surprised  .that  night,  I 
was  the  only  one  fortunate  enough  to  retain  sufficient 
raiment  to  make -a  respectable  appearance  in  the  morn- 
ing. I  lent  Lieutenant  Mosby  my  overcoat  to  enable 
him  to  make  a  decent  descent  from  the  roof.  Willie 
Mosby  and  Blackwell  had  lost  everything  "save  hon- 
or." The  former,  in  his  night  attire,  badly  concealed 
by  my  overcoat,  with  feet  and  head  uncovered,  made 
altogether  no  indifferent  likeness  to  a  ghost.  The 
laughter  and  witty  congratulations  we  received  on  our 


£  URGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  87 

fortunate  escape  and  grotesque  habiliments  by  the  amia- 
ble though  facetious  ladies  of  the  hospitable  household, 
retains  yet  a  bright  green  spot  in  my  memory.  Every 
species  of  property  had  been  injured,  destroyed  or 
stolen  by  the  enemy.  Nothing  that  could  be  utilized 
for  domestic  economy  or  comfort  had  been  spared  to 
this  noble,  generous  and  patriotic  family.  Yet  their 
serious  sacrifices  did  not  diminish  their  joyous  demon- 
strations at  our  fortunate  though  unexpected  deliver- 
ance from  the  cruel  and  hated  foe. 

The  sun  rose  in  dazzling  splendor  over  the  wide 
expanse  of  snow.  Its  resplendent  brightness  seemed 
in  contrast  and  mockery  of  the  scenes  and  feelings  of 
the  preceding  night.  The  landscape,  as  viewed  from 
the  gentle  elevation  of  Glen  Welby,  is  one  of  the  most 
picturesque  and  beautiful  in  all  Piedmont  Virginia. 
The  charming  undulating  azure  of  the  distant  moun- 
tain slopes  distinctly  outlined  against  the  soft  blue  sky, 
with  the  modest  aspect  of  less  presumptuous  hills  in 
the  fore-ground,  mingling  tastefully  with  the  rolling 
surface  of  a  fertile  plain,  checquered  by  stone  fences 
and  substantial  farm  houses,  presented  a  lovely  pic- 
ture of  this  beautiful  region.  The  ladies  of  the  house 
had  gathered  in  the  front  portico  and  were  joined  by 
Mosby,  Waller,  and  myself.  We  were  each  relating 
the  individual  experiencies,  fancies  and  excitements  of 
the  night.  Wj  far,  only  three  partisans  besides  Lieu- 
tenant Grogan  (who  was  not  disturbed)  had  been  heard 
from.  Speculation  ran  high  as  to  the  probable  fate  of 
poor  Joe  Blackwell.  He  was  missing,  and  I  knew  that 


88  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

a  large  whits  object  had  rolled  with  unprecedented 
velocity  away  from  the  Yankees  in  the  early  dawn; 
and  we  knew  that  this  object  in  its  course  had  swept 
two  panels  of  the  garden  fence  away  with  great  power. 
Yet  we  did  not  know  that  this  object  was  Joe  Black- 
well;  and  from  tho  number  of  carbines  discharged  at 
the  receding  spectre,  we  could  not  feel  certain,  even  if 
it  was  Joseph,  that  he  yet  lived.  The  noble-hearted 
ladies  expressed  graat  sympathy  and  manifested  some 
grief  over  the  uncertain  fate  of  the  missing  chief. 
When  the  topic  of  conversation  had  become  almost 
painful  in  its  gloomy  interest,  and  a  proposition  had  been 
submitted  that  wo  bDrrow  a  few  horses  and  go  in  search 
of  the  lost  one — an  awkward  apparition  could  be  indis- 
tinctly perceived  over  a  snow-clad  hill  in  the  dim  dis- 
tance. All  .eyes  were  instantly  turned  upon  the  figure 
as  it  slowly  approached  in  the  direction  of  the  house. 
Some  of  our  group  suspected  it  was  a  Yankee  scout  in 
disguise,  others  suggested,  from  its  white  appearance, 
that  it  was  a  flag  of  truce. 

The  thing  came  forward  steadily,  but  very  slowly. 
It  observed  not  the  beaten  track,  path,  or  plantation 
road,  but  advanced  over  hills  and  across  plains  with 
the  unerring  accuracy  of  a  perfect  mathematical  line. 
As  the  object  came  nearer,  it  looked  more  and  more 
quaint  in  its  outlines  and  odd  in  its  construction. 
The  curiosity  of  our  entire  group  was  excited,  yet  could 
not  conceive  the  true  nature  of  this  singular  phenome- 
non. We  awaited  patiently,  but  yet,  in  profoundest 
doubt,  whether  the  thing  was  physical  or  metaphysical. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  89 

Its  strange  tout  ensemble  could  pass  equally  well  for 

"spirit  of  health,  or  goblin  d d,"  and  to  a  practiced 

eye  more  strongly,  resembled  the  latter.  Not  with 
"Tarquin's  ravishing  strides,"  but  with  the  broken 
gait  of  a  lame  horse,  the  thing  continued  to  advance. 
From  its  tardy  locomotion,  and  heterogeneous  "get 
up,"  it  looked  neither  hostile  nor  war-like.  It  had 
approached  within  twenty-five,  paces  of  our  position, 
when  the  first  indication  wo  had  that  its  "true  inward- 
ness" had  been  ascertained  and  its  nature  properly 
diagnosed,  was  a  wild  shriek,  mingled  with  uncontrolla- 
ble laughter,  and  the  rapid  retreat  of  our  lady  friends 
from  the  portico.  The  silver  tones  of  merry  laughter 
rang  through  the  wide  and  echoing  halls  of  Glen 
"Welby  before  the  members  of  our  group  of  the  male 
persuasion  had  discovered  the  cause  of  such  a  sudden 
stampede  and  extraordinary  merriment.  The  genius 
of  the  gifted  Dickens  would  pause  in  its  effort  to  describe 
the  figure  that  now  presented  itself.  Joe  Blackwell, 
with  only  two  articles  of  "gentleman's  wear"  about  his 
well-developed  person,  had  eluded  his  baffled  pursuers 
in  the  early  morning's  chase.  With  naked  feet,  over 
the  frozen  snow  he  had  outstripped  the  swift  following 
Yankees,  and  at  the  distance  of  two  miles  from  the 
point  he  started,  the  alarmed  chief  had  sought  refuge 
in  a  dense  forest  behind  the  sheltering  body  of  a  fallen 
oak.  Pinched  by  the  merciless  temperature  of  a  cruel 
frost,  he  dragged  his  chilled  body  to  the  cabin  of  a 
friendly  negro.  The  poor  darkey  was  not  prepared  to 
render  any  valuable  aid  to  the  fugitive  chief.  Relief 


90  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

such  as  he  could  afford  was  cheerfully  given.  The 
good  darkey  was  the  owner  of  a  poor  old  horse.  This 
species  of  personal  property  was  cheerfully  offered  to 
the  oppressed  rebel,  and  as  cordially  accepted.  With 
ingenuity  demonstrating  the  old  proverb,  that  neces- 
sity is  the  mother  of  invention,  Joseph  made  a  hasty 
change  in  the  systematic  arrangement  of  his  scanty 
costume.  He  was  compelled  by  the  stress,  or  rather 
the  distress,  of  circumstances,  to  protect  one  portion  of 
his  handsome  person  at  the  expense  of  another  hereto- 
fore less  exposed  region  of  his  physical  economy. 
Having  only  two  garments  at  his  disposal,  and  neither 
of  these,  from  their  peculiar  structure  and  customary 
application,  affording  the  least  protection  or  assistance 
to  his  frost-bitten  feet,  the  chief  deliberately  divided 
one  of  his  nether  garments  into  two  equal  parts,  and 
wrapped  one  half  of  said  transposed  linen  carefully 
round  his  suffering  pedal  extremities.  In  this  guise, 
awkwardly  mounted  upon  the  old  free  negro's  horse, 
without  saddle  or  bridle,  with  a  large  rope  halter  around 
the  animal's  nose  to  guide  him,  he  set  out  upon  his 
return.  The  horse  being  poor,  lame  and  badly  galled 
by  harness,  looked  not  much  happier  than  the  rider. 
Without  hat,  with  round,  full  face  covered  with  short 
beard,  holding  the  rope  in  one  hand  and  blowing  in 
the  other  to  keep  it  warm,  and  each  foot  wrapped  in 
half  a  linen  garment,  this,  and  only  this,  constituted 
the  phenomenon  that  presented  itself  before  the  front 
portico  at  Glen  Welby.  Is  the  reader  surprised  that 
the  ladies*  laughed  and  fled  ?  If  Sancho  Panza  had 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  91 

engaged  in  a  prize  fight,  remained  a  week  at  Seven 
Points,  spent  one  night  in  Babcock's  ice-house,  and  then 
traded  Dapple  with  his  master  for  old  Rosinante,  he 
may  possibly  have  made  as  striking  an  impression  on 
a  Sunday-school  picnic  as  that  made  on  the  home 
circle  of  Glen  Welby  by  the  chiefs  return. 

I  was  the  first  to  go  forward  to  assist  him  from  hi.s 
painful  position  and  suffering  steed.  I  remember  well 
the  significant  nod  of  his  head  and  the  triumphant 
look  he  gave  me  as  I  extended  my  hand  to  help  him 
down.  It  was  with  that  unmistakable  air  of  triumph 
and  pain  that  he  said,  "Ah!  Doctor,  I  beat  them  run- 
ning, but  I  a;n  mighty  cold.  Help  mo,  for  God's  sake 
and  give  inc  a  drink  1" 


92  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 


CHAPTER  X. 


7]  FEW  days  subsequent  to  the  scenes  and  adventures 
(g)  described  in  the  preceding  chapter,  the  gallant 
partisan  leader  returned  to  his  faithful  command, 
after  an  absence  of  two  months.  Mosby  was  received 
by  his  brave  followers  with  the  wildest  demonstrations 
of  vociferous  joy.  His  old  well-tried  veterans  gathered 
around  him  with  noisy  manifestations  of  affectionate 
regard.  The  chivalrous  and  devoted  retainers  of 
Roderick  Dhu  could  not  have  exhibited  more  admi- 
ration for  their  loved  and  trusted  chief,  than  did  this 
warlike  partisan  clan  for  their  distinguished  and  dash- 
ing leader.  Napoleon  the  Great  said  that  military 
success  depends  more  on  simultaneous  thought  and 
action,  than  on  the  tardy  and  deliberate  methods  of 
systematic  calculations.  These  qualifications  of  the 
distinguished  Corsican's  criterion  of  true  military 
genius,  the  partisan  chief  possessed  to  an  eminent 
degree.  With  a  thorough  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
his  characteristic  mental  twists  and  peculiarities  of 
disposition,  I  assert  the  belief  that  no  man  ever  pos- 
sessed a  greater  power  of  quick  perception,  or  more 
promptness  of  thought  and  action,  than  did  this  mete- 
oric genius  of  guerrilla  warfare.  Soon  as  he  returned 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  00 

to  the  county  of  Fauquier,  the  officers  of  his  command 
gathered  around  him,  and  plans  were  instantly  per- 
fected to  organize  the  many  volunteers  that  were  con- 
stantly flocking  to  his  battalion,  into  new  companies, 
and  rapidly  filling  the  wasted  ranks  of  the  old.  Mosby 
exercised  the  most  arbitrary  power  over  his  imme- 
diate command,  and  also  over  the  several  counties 
under  his  military  control.  He  was  considered  not 
only  a  military  ruler,  but  also  a  civil  power  of  unques- 
tioned authority,  over  the  several  counties  known  at 
that  time  as  "  Mosby's  Confederacy."  No  caricatures  of 
human  justice,  in  the  form  of  county  or  circuit  courts, 
were  then  known  or  recognized  by  the  people  during 
Mosby's  reign.  He  settled  all  disputes,  and  his  decis- 
ions admitted  of  no  appeal.  Indeed,  the  opposing  liti- 
gants were  generally  satisfied  with  his  prompt  and 
impartial  decrees.  If  two  old  farmers  quarreled  about 
a  horse  trade,  or  the  sale  of  real  estate,  the  court  of 
first  appeal  and  last  resort,  was  the  drum-head  tribunal 
at  Mosby's  headquarters.  From  a  hasty  puerile  quar- 
rel, to  the  most  important  business  transaction,  the 
decisions  of  this  arbitrary  court  were  always  considered 
the  perfection  of  justice  and  the  mature  product  of 
unquestioned  wisdom.  One  great  advantage  contest- 
ants enjoyed  before  the  martial  judiciary  of  Mosby's 
administration  was  a  "speedy  trial"  in  its  fullest  sense. 
One  of  the  strongest  elements  of  complaint  in  Ham- 
let's Soliloquy  would  not  have  annoyed  the  unlucky 
Prince  of  Denmark,  had  his  case  been  tried  in  Mosby's 
court.  There  was  no  honest  ground  to  complain  of 


94  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

the  "law's  delay"  before  his  prompt  and  inexorable 
bar.  His  scales  of  justice  could  not  be  made  to  change 
their  even  balance  through  the  attraction  of  gain,  or 
the  fore**  of  prejudice,  or  malice;  but  when  once  the 
result  was  reached,  not  all  the  powers  of  earth  could 
change  the  stubborn  will  or  the  inflexible  determina- 
tion of  this  abitrary  court.  Quick  perception,  strong 
judgment,  firmness  of  purpose  and  a  determined  self- 
possession,  supplied  the  important  functions  of  this  tri- 
bunal of  justice  that  are  unfortunately  so  rare  in  others. 
Mosby  detested  red  tape  in  every  form.  He  recog- 
nized it  as  a  deadly  poison  to  military  success,  and 
often  said  to  me  that  this  contemptible  relic  of  ancient 
stupidity,  has  retarded  the  progress  of  civilization  more 
even  than  the  vulgar  superstition  and  hapless  igno- 
rance of  the  darkest  ages  of  the  world's  history. 

He  frequently  uttered  his  contempt  for  the  circum- 
locution tendencies  of  all  civil,  military  and  legal  mat- 
ters in  this  country.  He  would  hear  the  full  evidence 
in  any  one  case  and  decide  the  moment  the  testimony 
closed.  He  promoted  his  officers  and  soldiers  on  the 
single  principle  of  merit.  The  most  extravagant  pre- 
tentions  to  aristocratic  privileges,  the  boast  of  vulgar 
wealth,  or  the  more  common  and  contemptible  claim 
of  influence  with  the  government,  would  alike  fail  in 
procuring  a  commission  in  his  command.  When  a 
brave  and  intelligent  soldier  made  a  successful  raid, 
and  at  a  great  risk,  captured  a  number  of  the  enemy, 
or  obeyed  the  orders  of  his  superior  regardless  of  his 
own  safety,  and  proved  himself  faithful,  obedient,  intel- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND  95 

ligent  and  totally  fearless,  he  would  find  himself  one 
degree  higher  in  rank  without  the  trouble  of  making  a 
special  application  for  promotion.  If  all  the  officers  of 
authority  in  the  Confederate  Government  had  possessed 
half  the  intelligence,  patriotism,  and  innate  justice  that 
characterized  the  chief  of  the  partisan  battalion,  surely 
our  armies  would  have  been  severely  purged  of  the 
traitors,  cowards  and  impostors,  that  so  often  disgraced 
the  official  rolls  of  our  unfortunate  and  ill-fated  gov- 
ernment. So  strong  was  the  attachment  of  his  follow- 
ers to  their  popular  leader  and  his  cause,  that  the  only 
punishment  he  ever  proposed  for  disobedience,  was 
expulsion  from  his  command.  To  be  ordered  back 
into  the  regular  service  was  regarded  by  every  man  in 
the  Forty-third  battalion  of  Virginia  cavalry,  as  intol- 
erable punishment  and  eternal  disgrace.  The  only 
sense  of  fear  known  to  these  brave  raiders,  was  the 
honest  dread  of  being  remanded  back  into  the  regular 
army.  I  have  known  the  intimation  of  this  dreadful 
penalty  to  bring  tears  from  the  eyes  of  the  most  des- 
perate and  daring  men  in  the  partisan  service.  In 
all  the  history  of  human  error,  there  is  no  impression 
yet  made  upon  the  public  inind  more  wide  of  the 
truth,  than,  the  general  opinion  regarding  the  honor 
and  discipline  of  Mosby's  command.  The  chivalrous 
leader  of  these  gallant  men,  inspired  them  with  his 
own  high  sense  of  honor,  and  their  profound  regard 
and  admiration  for  him,  commanded  their  strict  obedi- 
ence to  his  will.  Every  man  knew  that  the  slightest 
suspicion  of  dishonesty,  or  cowardice,  would  consign 


S6  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

him  at  once  to  the  disgrace  of  expulsion ;  and  although 
there  must  have  been  the  usual  modicum  of  hu- 
man meanness  always  found  in  a  given  number  of 
human  beings,  I  am  enabled  to  say,  after  three  years 
of  active  field  service  in  the  regular  army,  that  I  have 
never  witnessed,  amongst  eight  hundred  men  and  offi- 
cers, more  true  courage  and  chivalry,  or  a  higher  sense 
of  honor,  blended  with  less  vice,  selfishness  and  mean- 
ness, than  I  found  during  my  official  intercourse  with 
the  partisan  battalion.  'Tis  true,  acts  of  cruelty  were 
sometimes  committed — as  will  always  happen  when 
one  man  is  placed  at  the  mercy  of  another,  and  the 
base  passions  in  common  with  all  humanity,  are  lashed 
into  fury  by  terrible  and  atrocious  wrongs.  No  lazy 
man,  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  luxury  and  nursed  by  the 
degrading  spirit  of  indolence,  can  either  comprehend 
or  appreciate  the  fiery  play  of  angry  passion  whipped 
into  fury  by  the  glare  of  burning  dwellings,  while  the 
hungry  and  freezing  little  children  of  murdered  parents 
are  standing  by  the  ruins  of  their  homes,  clinging  to 
their  pale  though  heroic  mothers,  pleading  with 
blanched  cheeks  and  tearful  eyes  for  such  protection  as 
the  feeble  hand  of  a  delicate  mother  can  grant  them, 
in  the  grim  ordeal  of  murder,  arson,  starvation,  and 
death.  I  have  read  of  civilized  warfare,  but  that  was 
not  the  kind  the  invaders  waged  against  the  defence- 
less inhabitants  of  Fauquier.  General  Hancock  held 
the  post  of  Winchester  with  a  force  of  nearly  forty 
thousand  men.  A  force  nearly  as  powerful  held  the 
city  of  Alexandria  and  Fairfax  Courthouse.  Mosby, 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  YJS  COMMAND.  97 

with  his  eight  hundred  veterans,  held  the  several  coun- 
ties that  intervened  between  these  powerful  forces  of 
the  enemy.  Large  commands  from  either  post  would 
make  frequent  incursions  into  our  territory,  and  every 
advance  would  be  illuminated  by  the  ghastly  glare  of 
burning  barns  and  dwellings.  This  is  what  certain 
pious  writers  denominate  civilized  warfare,  conducted 
under  humane  regulations.  If,  under  these  trying  cir- 
cumstances, a  squad  of  partisans  should  happen  to 
advance  upon  a  party  of  incendiaries,  gloating  over 
the  ruin  they  have  wrought — whose  brutality  crops 
out  in  their  hideous,  obscene  jests  and  vulgar  insults, 
hurled  at  the  piteous  pleadings  of  the  poor  mother  and 
her  frightened  children — it  would  certainly  not  shock 
the  genius  that  presides  over  the  department  of  retal- 
iatory justice,  for  the  gentle  partisan  to  seize  the  cruel 
incendiary  by  the  neck  and  heels  and  add  a  small 
supply  of  combustible  fuel  to  the  fire,  by  hurling  the 
vandal  into  the  flames  he  kindled.  If  the  gallows  pre- 
pared by  Haman  was  a  well-considered  engine  to  raise 
its  maker  in  the  estimation  of  all  just  men,  surely  the  hell 
created  in  Virginia  by  the  hand  of  the  barbarous  incen- 
diary was  not  too  hot  for  the  demon  who  applied  the 
torch.  If  a  "kindred  sp?rit  makes  us  wondrous  kind," 
a  demoniac  act  makes  us  wonderfully  vindictive.  This 
brutal  conduct  was  probably  more  manifest  in  the 
county  of  Fauquier,  than  in  any  other  region  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  savage  cruelty  of  an  Indian  war  was  no^ 
more  merciless  in  its  barbarous  atrocities'  than  that 
waged  upon  the  defenceless  women  and  helpless  young 


98 

children  of  this  lovely  section  of  Piedmont  Virginia. 
The  savage,  in  taking  the  scalp,  shortens  the  agonies 
of  his  victim;  but  a  huge  army,  that  destroys  the  food 
and  burns  the  habitations  of  defenceless  women  and 
young  children,  adds  the  protracted  torture  of  gradual 
death  by  starvation,  to  the  agonizing  pangs  of  mental 
torment  in  the  feverish  apprehension  of  cold  and 
hunger.  The  cold-blooded  atrocities  perpetrated  upon 
the  unprotected  inhabitants  of  Fauquier  and  the  adjoin- 
ing counties,  prove  that  the  human  animal  is  more 
ferocious  than  the  wild  beast  in  his  jungle.  The  tiger 
is  brutal  by  instinct,  and  takes  life  only  when  his  own 
is  in  danger,  or  when  he  is  pinched  by  the  significant 
sense  of  hunger.  But  man  (or  at  least  such  specimens 
of  mankind  as  committed  military  arson  and  murder) 
makes  use  of  reason,  in  brutality  and  calculates  the 
sufferings  of  a  tortured  victim,  prompted,  not  by 
hunger  or  even  retaliation — for  what  brute  would 
retaliate  an  injury  upon  a  woman  or  a  child?  The 
gallant  sons  of  heroic  Virginia,  were  in  the  field,  breast- 
ing the  deadly  storm  of  lead  and  steel  in  defence  of 
their  country.  Her  gentle  daughters  and  her  infant 
children,  were  left  in  the  care  of  Him  of  whom  it  is 
said  "tempers  the  wintry  winds  to  the  shorn  lamb." 
A  general  in  a  report  to  his  commander-in-chief  boasts 
of  many  thousand  dwellings  destroyed  by  fire.  The 
ineffable  Haynau  was  no  doubt  proud  of  the  like  hide- 
ous heroism  of  ordering  Hungarian  ladies,  to  be 
scourged  with  the  dreadful  knout. 

If  the  history  of  atrocities  in  Northern  Virginia  is 
ever  honestly  or  truthfully  written,  the  descendants  of 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND,  99 

the  murderers  and  incendiaries  will  not  be  proud  of 
the  record  of  their  unworthy  progenitors. 

A  commissioned  officer  of  a  civilized  government  that 
can  give  or  execute  an  order  to  burn  thousands  of 
human  dwellings,  that  shelter  only  the  most  interesting 
and  helpless  of  the  human  race — members  of  society 
that  cannot  bear  arms  for  or  against  a  government — 
that  are  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term  non-combat- 
ants, must  indeed  be  an  animal  without  a  soul.  Or, 
if  such  a  creature  is  the  possessor  of  a  soul,  it  is  a  very 
indifferent  article. 

The  prayers  of  defenceless  women  and  the  tears  of 
frightened  children  prevailed  not  with  the  cold-blooded 
brutality  of  the  foul  incendiaries.  The  heartrending 
picture  of  little  children  toddling  out  of  a  burning 
house  and  falling  in  their  fright  over  its  blazing  tim- 
bers, failed  to  move  the  coarse  black  heart  that  would 
almost  burst  asunder  at  the  raid  on  Harper's  Ferry  or 
break  with  pious  indignation,  at  the  hanging  of  old 
John  Brown. 

The  cruelties  and  atrocities  of  the  barbarous  foe, 
inspired  our  partisan  soldiers  with  more  than  human 
courage.  When  one  hundred  of  these  savages  were 
engaged  in  burning  a  dwelling  only  ten  partisan  sol- 
diers would  often  put  the  entire  company  to  flight.  A 
soldier  who  will  insult  a  woman,  frighten  a  child,  steal 
whatever  he  can  find  to  steal,  or  burn  a  dwelling,  will 
not  make  an  honest  fight  when  danger  looks  him  in 
the  face.  Cruelty  and  cowardice  are  inseparable  com- 
panions. Show  me  a  cruel  tyrant,  and  I  will  discover 
a  cowardly  knave. 


100  WAli  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 


CHAPTER  XI. 


^UHE  county  of  Loudoun,  one  of  the  most  fertile  in 
Virginia,  furnished  some  of  the  bravest  soldiers 
in  the  Confederate  army  and  retained  many  of  the 
bitterest  foes  to  the  Southern  Cause.  Amongst  the 
Union  men  most  active  and  acrimonious  in  their  oppo- 
sition to  Confederate  authority,  may  be  noticed  the 
brotherhood  or  sect,  known  as  the  society  of  Friends. 
The  Quakers  of  Loudoun  may  have  been  friendly  to 
each  other,  but  they  were  decidedly  unfriendly  to  the 
Southern  soldier.  These  quaint,  peaceful,  and  thrifty 
followers  of  Win.  Penn,  possessed  the  most  beautiful 
and  profitable  farms  in  the  county  of  Loudoun.  They 
were  generally  wealthy  and  lived  well,  yet  refused  to 
pay  their  taxes  to  the  Southern  Government.  The 
only  method  that  presented  a  reasonable  certainty  of 
gathering  the  taxes  of  the  Union  Quakers,  was  that 
adopted  by  our  battalion.  Mosby  ordered  a  detachment 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men  to  go  down  into 
their  settlements,  quarter  the  troops  upon  the  rebel- 
lious Quakers,  and  send  into  the  county  of  Fauquier 
one-tenth  part  of  their  grain,  forage  and  bacon.  The 
men  deputized  to  execute  this  unpleasant  order,  were 
divided  into  squads  of  ten  or  twelve.  Each  squad  was 


SURGEON  OF  MOSSY'S  COMMAND.          101 

ordered  to  quarter  upon  some  convenient  Union  man 
who  had  refused  to  pay  his  tithe  of  grain  and  meat,  to 
the  Confederate  Government.  I  remember  well  riding 
through  a  beautiful  and  fertile  region  with  iny  twelve 
rangers  to  the  well-tilled  and  comfortable  farm  of  Mr.  R. 

T .  We  found  the  old  gentleman  in  his  front  portico. 

lie  was  a  fat  and  robust  man.  His  red  face  and  rotund 
appearance,  bespake  a  thrifty  agriculturalist.  Every- 
thing about  his  domicile  indicated  ease,  comfort,  and 
plenty.  Yet  the  first  expression  that  escaped  his  lips 
proved  beyond  all  controversy,  that  he  was  not  happy. 
Indeed,  the  Carthagenian  had  no  stronger  aversion  to 
the  Roman,  than  did  this  phlegmatic  Quaker  of  Lou- 
doun  county,  for  the  soldiers  of  Mosby's  command.  I 
rode  directly  jp  to  the  front  door  of  the  house  and 
asked  if  lie  was  the  proprietor.  In  reply  to  a  direct 
and  civil  question,  the  old  gentleman  asked  if  we 
belonged  to  that  infernal  band  of  freebooters,  cut- 
throats and  thieves  commanded  by  the  rebel  highway- 
man, Mosby.  The  tone  and  gestures  of  the  old  man 
spoke  more  eloquently  than  his  words.  I  had  often 
heard  of  the  quiet  disposition  and  peaceful  doctrines  of 
the  staid  and  gentle  sect,  of  which  he  was  a  leader  and 
was  not  prepared  to  witness  such  electric  sparks  of 
anger  as  seemed  to  flash  from  the  old  man's  chin.  I 
gently  informed  him  in  as  mild  manner  as  possible 
that  we  came  into  his  county  for  the  simple  and  lauda- 
ble purpose,  of  collecting  from  himself  and  other  Union 
men,  the  government  tax  of  one-tenth  of  the  products 
of  their  farms,  that  I  demanded  the  keys  of  his  stables 


102  WA  R  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

and  barns,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  hay,  corn, 
&c.;  also,  I  desired  him  to  feed  our  horses  and  men 
for  a  few  days.  A  sprightly  imagination  may  possi- 
bly conceive  the  intensity  of  anger  that  kindled  the 
ire  of  old  Douglass,  when  Lord  Marmiou  called  him  a 
liar;  but  no  one  can  picture  the  extreme  rage  that 
exploded  the  temper  of  this  demure  old  man,  when  he 
fully  comprehended  insult  added  to  aggravated  injury. 
His  chronic  habit  of  economy  was  assaulted  and  his 
sense  of  prudence  violently  shocked,  at  the  prospect  of 
serious  loss,  and  his  pain  was  infinitely  increased  by 
the  thought  that  the  vile  enemy  inflicted  the  wrong. 
The  old  man  yelled  with  rage  at  the  bare  idea  of  rebel 
horses  feeding  upon  his  valuable  grain.  He  foamed 
at  the  mouth,  stamped  his  feet,  and  exhibited  more 
activity  and  vituperation  than  I  had  seen  before  in 
one  of  his  advanced  years.  He  accused  us  of  all  the 
crimes  known  to  the  law,  and  declared  vehemently, 
that  he  preferred  instant  death  to  the  surrender  of  his 
property,  and  he  promised  to  die  before  he  would  give 
up  the  keys  to  his  corn-house.  I  made  the  matter  as 
plain  as  language  could  make  it — that,  in  obedience 
to  the  orders  of  Colonel  Mosby,  we  were  compelled,  no 
matter  how  painful  the  duty,  to  feed  our  horses  and 
men  at  his  expense  for  a  few  days,  and  send  up  to  our 
headquarters  one-tenth  part  of  his  crops  as  the  tax  he 
justly  owed  to  his  government.  This  was  more  than 
Quaker  flesh  and  Union  spleen  could  bear.  He 
screamed  with  rage  and  leaped  into  the  air  like  some 
powerful  wild  animal  shot  in  the  head.  He  looked 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  103 

exceedingly  comical,  dressed  as  he  was,  in  short 
breeches,  heavy  brogans,  working  jacket  and  broad- 
brimmed  hat.  His  chubby  figure  and  grotesque  cos- 
tume, did  not  coincide  with  his  active  and  extreme 
manifestations  of  indignation  and  anger.  He  uttered 
whole  volumes  of  abusive  epithets  with  a  rattling 
rapidity  of  sound,  very  much  like  that  made  by  pour- 
ing a  stream  of  dried  beans  upon  a  sonorous  surface. 
He  wildly  shouted  in  despair  his  fixed  determination 
to  die  in  defence  of  his  corn-crib.  I  endeavored  to  ex- 
plain to  the  infuriated  Quaker,  that  even  death  could 
not  protect  his  corn-crib,  or  save  his  bacon,  and  that  it 
was  our  duty,  in  obedience  to  orders,  to  take  his 
provisions  whether  he  lived  or  died,  and  as  good  sol- 
diers and  patriotic  citizens,  we  had  no  especial  objec- 
tions to  his  dying  whenever  his  duty  or  pleasure 
prompted  the  sacrifice  he  then  contemplated.  I 
reminded  him  that  he  was  at  the  mercy  of  the 
very  men  that  he  abused  in  such  unmeasured  and 
unreasonable  terms,  and  suggested  the  propriety 
of  prudence  under  the  unhappy  circumstances  that 
environed  himself  and  his  coveted  corn-crib.  In  mercy 
to  the  old  man  I  explained  that  even  his  death  would 
not  diminish  the  exact  amount  of  tax  we  were  ordered 
to  collect  from  him,  and  it  would  be  the  part  of  wis- 
dom, for  him  to  live  longer  and  raise  another  crop,  as 
we  would  probably  pay  him  one  more  visit  for  the 
same  purpose  the  coming  year.  At  this  new  insult 
he  strutted  awkwardly  into  the  house  and  slammed 
the  door  with  great  energy  behind  him.  A  few  loud 


104  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

raps  with  the  butt  end  of  a  heavy  pistol,  aroused  him 
from  his  profound  indignation  and  brought  him  to 
the  porch  again.  I  now  demanded  the  keys,  with  a 
warning  that  my  men  were  becoming  unmanageable, 
and  I  seriously  apprehended  that  they  would  soon 
resent  his  insults  in  a  manner  to  be  deplored. 

Trembling  with  anger  and  fear,  he  surrendered  the 
keys,  with  the  exclamation  that  God  would  inflict  a  dis- 
tinct and  terrible  curse  upon  us  for  every  ear  of  corn 
we  dared  to  steal.  The  men  proceeded  rapidly  with 
their  work  of  measuring  the  old  man's  corn,  while  he 
poured  out  his  vials  of  wrath  and  vituperation,  upon 
all  God-forsaken  rebels  in  general  and  our  little  parti- 
san flock  in  particular.  The  dull  sound  of  his  corn, 
as  it  rattled  into  the  rebel  measure,  was  wormwood  to 
his  Union  soul.  His  rage  seemed  to  wear  itself  out 
gradually  as  the  deep  sense  of  his  loss,  overspread  his 
niggardly  mind  and  parsimonious  disposition.  The 
sensitive  old  miser,  crouched  down  upon  the  steps  of 
his  corn-crib  and  wept  as  bitterly  over  the  trivial  loss 
of  a  few  bushels  of  grain  as  a  true  patriot  would,  over 
the  loss  of  his  country's  rights.  When  the  rust  of  a 
metallic  conscience  oxidizes  the  microscopic  soul  of  a 
contemptible  miser,  the  sudden  loss  of  a  few  pennies 
jars  upon  his  sordid  emotions  with  acutest  agony. 
The  sentient  nerve  structure  of  a  base  nature,  will 
vibrate  only  to  the  touch  of  pecuniary  loss.  Such 
creatures  feel  no  sympathy  with  the  sufferings  or  mis- 
fortunes of  others.  They  care  not  for  their  kind,  kin- 
dred, or  country.  The  old  Quaker  felt  more  acute  pain 


SVRG&ON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  105 

at  the  loss  of  a  few  bushels  of  corn  than  the  true 
patriot  feels  when  he  proudly  offers  up  as  a  gift  offer- 
ing his  gallant  life  upon  the  altar  of  his  country's 
honor.  The  tears  of  a  hungry  crocodile  make  a  respec- 
table fluid  compared  with  the  lachrymal  secretion  of  a 
chronic  miser. 

His  paroxysm  of  passion  had  subsided  into  a  wail 
of  distress,  when  I  again  aroused  his  anger  by  demand- 
ing that  my  men  should  be  provided  with  food.  This 
demand  he  stubbornly  resisted,  and  declared  that  if 
the  infernal  hell-hounds  entered  his  house  they  should 
enter  "over  his  lifeless  corpse."  'I  solemnly  assured 
him  that  we  would  have  no  real  objection  to  doing  so, 
if  it  was  at  all  desirable  to  him ;  that  we  were  disposed 
to  be  accommodating,  and  would  endeavor  to  please 
him  either  dead  or  alive ;  and  were  not  very  particular 
on  that  point,  as  indeed  it  was  a  matter  of  absolute 
indifference;  but  we  were  determined  to  be  fed  for  a 
few  days  at  his  expense.  I  expressed  the  belief  that 
he  would  find  it  more  economical  to  prepare  a  dinner 
for  the  men,  than  to  give  up  his  keys  to  them — that 
we  had  no  good  cooks  in  our  squad,  and  I  feared  they 
would  be  rather  extravagant  in  an  impromptu  culi- 
nary enterprise.  He  comprehended  this  reasonable 
suggestion,  and  agreed  to  prepare  a  dinner  for  his 
enemies.  Within  less  than  two  hours  my  order  was 
obeyed,  and  a  very  excellent  repast  was  ready  for  a 
dozen  hungry  partisans. 

After  dinner  it  became  my  painful  duty  to  make 
another  very  unpleasant  proposition  to  our  antipa- 


106  WAR  REMINISCENCE  11  Y  THE 

thetic  host.     "Mr.  T ,  we  are  compelled  to  avail 

ourselves  of  your  hospitality  for  the  night.  You  will 
please  prepare  room  and  beds  for  twelve."  When  I 
uttered  this  sentiment,  or  "  words  to  that  effect,"  a  tor- 
pedo under  a  camp-meeting  would  scarcely  cause  more 
confusion,  consternation  and  noise.  Even  the  ladies  of 
this  quiet  abode  manifested  a  lively  interest  against 
us.  They  gathered  around  a  small  table  in  the  room 
in  which  we  had  dined,  and  by  a  given  signal  from 
the  head  of  the  household,  that  sounded  like  the  dis- 
contented grunt  of  a  wild  boar  in  distress,  this  inte- 
resting family  group,  knelt  down  and  prayed.  The 
old  man  led  off  in  a  devout  growl ;  followed  in  indis- 
tinct murmurs  by  the  younger  and  lesser  members  of 
this  delectable  group.  The  head  of  the  house  devoutly 
asked  the  merciful  Ruler  of  the  universe  to  condescend, 
in  the  infinitude  of  his  power  and  mercy,  to  damn  every 
rebel  in  the  world;  and,  if  he  ;ran  short  of  general 
curses,  to  please  be  kind  enough  to  specially  damn, 
without  the  power  of  revocation  or  appeal,  the  infernal 
devils  in  gray  uniforms  commanded  by  that  hell- 
bound  robber,  cut-throat  and  murderer,  Colonel  John 
S.  Mosby.  The  good  Lord  was  petitioned,  in  most 
pious  accents,  not  to  spare  any  rebel;  but  if,  in  the 
discretion  of  Divine  wisdom,  anybody  had  to  be  spared 
the  endless  torments  of  a  perennial  hell,  "  do,  good 
Lord,  visit  the  extreme  terrors  of  thy  chastening  wrath, 
upon  those  unconscionable  scoundrels  that  stole  our 
corn." 

While  this  vindictive  appeal  was  passing  from  the 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  107 

lips  of  a  sordid  miser,  to  the  ear  of  the  Great  Judge, 
and  some  of  our  men  were  listening  to  the  diabolical 
outpouring  of  superstitious  folly,  others  were  loitering 
about  the  stables,  barns,  and  poultry  houses.  One  of 
the  wildest  and  most  indiscreet  of  our  boys  had  found 
in  his  rambles  a  hen's  nest.  It  was  evidently  an  old 
nest,  or  at  least  contained  old  eggs.  The  hard-hearted 
young  rebel  had  discovered  that  the  old  man's  piety 
was  not  the  only  unsound  thing  on  the  premises. 

The  eggs  he  had  found  were  unorthodox  and  as 
abnormal  as  the  old  man's  prayers.  We  were  listening 
to  the  devout  family's  expressions — so  soothing  and 
comforting  to  the  rebel  soul — and  profoundly  contem- 
plating the  disgusting  sentiments  of  pious  brutality, 
when  suddenly  our  thoughts  were  turned  from  the 
group  by  a  disagreeable  noise,  attended  with  a  very 
unpleasant  odor.  The  thoughtless  wretch  who  had 
discovered  the  ancient  hen-nest  having  no  better  sense 
of  propriety  than  his  host  had  of  piety,  and  becoming 
incensed  and  disgusted  with  the  old  man's  uncompli- 
mentary insinuations  against  our  command,  this  young 
savage  had  directed  our  oviparous  battery  against  the 
pious  group,  with  smelling  if  not  telling  effect. 

After  breaking  a  half-dozen  of  these  unsavory  shdls 
against  the  house  and  half-open  door,  this  indelicate 
barbarian  amused  himself  by  quoting  in  a  loud  voice 
those  beautiful  though  inappropriate  lines  of  Tom 
Moore : 

"You  may  break,  you  may  ruin  the  vase  if  you  will — 
The  scent  of  tho  roses  will  cling  'round  it  still." 


108  WAX  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

The  indirect  effort  and  the  direct  influences  of  the 
eggs  brought  the  pious  petitioners  to  their  feet  at  once. 
They  howled  forth  a  torrent  of  unmeasured  and  ugly 
epithets  with  as  much  ease  and  fluency  as  Vesuvius  or 
^Etna  casts  their  ashes  and  lava.  After  rapidly  deliver- 
ing himself  of  all  the  sharp-pointed  words  that  can  be 
found  in  Webster  and  Worcester  combined,  the  old 
saint  folded  his  arms  and  stared  at  us  with  all  the 
malignity  that  a  fat  man  can  possibly  possess,  and 
tried  to  look  like  an  extinct  volcano  in  his  impotent 
wrath.  But,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  rum-blos- 
soms, or  cutaneous  eruptions  around  his  nose,  I  could 
see  nothing  volcanic  about  him.  I  now  renewed  my 
oft-repeated  demand  for  a  comfortable  night's  lodging, 
and  the  old  man  disappeared  in  great  disgust  without 
deigning  a  reply. 

While  engaged  in  holding  a  council  of  war  with  my 
followers  regarding  the  best  policy  for  the  night,  the 
iady  of  the  house  made  her  first  appearance.  She 
looked  grand,  gloomy  and  peculiar.  It  was  made  clear 
to  the  guerrilla  boys,  that  the  old  woman  was  mad. 
She  was  also  fat,  but  had  more  method  in  her  madness 
than  the  old  man  had  in  his.  She  looked  as  if  there 
was  some  milk  of  human  kindness  about  her,  though 
soured  by  adversity  and  rebels.  With  assumed  delib- 
eration and  mock  courtesy  she  asked,  in  measured  and 
distinct  tones: 

"Is  there  a  surgeon-doctor  'mongst  you  men?" 

I  politely  stepped  to  the  front  and  offered  my  services 
to  the  distressed  dame. 

"Are  you  a  surgeon-doctor? "she  asked. 


SUJt&EON  OF  MOSB  F',S'  COMMAND.  109 

I  stated  that  I  was  the  fortunate  possessor  of  several 
diplomas  and  numerous  certificates  of  distinction  given 
me  by  the  highest  institutions  of  learning  in  America; 
besides,  I  claimed  the  proudest  distinction  yotof  being 
the  surgeon  of  Mosby's  command,  and  would  be  still 
more  proud  were  I  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to  ren- 
der any  valuable  services  to  a  lady  of  such  distin- 
guished appearance  and  surroundings  as  herself.  Slio 
seemed  unable  to  comprehend  my  statement,  but 
understood  enough  to  exclaim:  "And  you,  a  doctor, 
keeping  company  with  such  bad  men!  May  the  good 
Lord  have  mercy  on  your  soul."  She  evidently  enjoyed 
a  very  exalted  opinion  of  the  medical  profession  and 
placed  a  very  poor  estimate  upon  a  rebel  soldier,  Slio 
informed  me  that  she  had  a  very  sick  child,  and  would 
be  pleased  if  I  would  see  the  sufferer.  I  followed  t!i3 
fat  dame  into  a  comfortable  and  well  furnished  cham- 
ber, and  to  my  surprise  discovered  that  the  sick  child 
referred  to  was  a  beautiful  young  lady.  I  asked  if  tho 
handsome  figure  before  me  was  the  patient.  An  affirm- 
ative response  convinced  me  at  once,  that  somebody  was 
endeavoring  to  impose  upon  the  surgeon.  I  knew  quite 
well  that  such  rosy  cheeks,  pearly  teeth  and  rounded 
form  could  not  mean  disease. 

"What  are  your  symptoms,  Miss,  and  what  myste- 
rious influence  deludes  you  into  the  belief  that  you  are 
an  invalid  ?" 

"The  hand  of  Death  is  upon  me,  Doctor,"  she  replied. 
"I  am  dying;  I  shall  soon  leave  this  sorrow-stricken 
world,  and  I  am  willing  and  prepared  to.  cUe,  I  havo. 


110  WAR  REMINISCENCES  JD    THE 

been  sinking  for  many  weeks,  and  shall  soon  go  to  the 
arms  of  our  blessed  Father  in  heaven.  The  destroyer, 
consumption,  has  baffled  the  skill  of  the  best  earthly 
physicians,  and  I  have  no  hope  to  live.  But  before  I 
die  I  make  you  this  last  request.  I  know  that  men  of 
your  callirg  are  kind-hearted, and  I  shall  expect  you 
to  grant  my  wish.  I  am  nervous,  my  system  is  shat- 
tered and  broken  with  long  suffering.  Will  you  be 
kind  to  a  dying  girl  and  prevail  on  those  cruel  men 
the  soldiers,  to  leave  our  house  ?  The  noise  they  make 
will  kill  me,  and  my  poor  old  father  will  become  a 
madman  under  their  cruel  treatment." 

I  thought  of  the  beautiful  lines  of  Lord  Byron : 

"  'Tis  only  in  the  sunny  south 

Such  words  are  uttered  and  such  charms  displayed — 
So  fair  a  language  from  so-sweet  a  mouth, 
To  what  an  effort  would  it  not  persuade?  " 

I  had  for  years  paid  great  attention  to  the  subject  of 
malingering.  I  had  made  this  particular  branch  of 
military  surgery  a  special  study.  The  experience  of 
three  years  in  the  regular  service,  where  men  and 
officers  continually  pretend  to  be  sick  when  they  are 
not,  prepared  me  to  detect  any  effort  in  that  line  not 
perfectly  considered.  I  perceived  that  my  beautiful 
patient  was  more  of  an  impostor  than  an  invalid,  and 
her  motive  was  announced  before  her  assumed  symp- 
toms were  stated. 

The  universal  rule,  in  a  correct  system  of  prescribing, 
would  have  answered  as  excellent  a  purpose  in  this 
case  as  in  real  disease.  Remove  the  cause  and  the  dis- 
ease removes  itself.  Remove  the  soldiers,  and  the  con- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  Ill 

sumption  of  this  pretty  patient  would  not  carry  her  to 
heaven  as  speedily  as  she  pretended  to  believe.  I  wag 
too  polite  to  insinuate  the  palpable  fraud  before  me;  1 
only  expressed  great  sympathy  for  the  sufferer,  and 
promised  to  use  my  authority  with  my  rude  comrades 
for  her  sake,  and  counselled  that  her  father  should 
behave  himself  also,  and  desist  from  irritating  the 
men.  My  fair  patient  thanked  me  for  my  kind  pro- 
fessions and  offered  up  a  very  pretty  little  prayer  for 
my  rebellious  soul.  If  I  had  to  contract  for  a  given 
amount  of  extemporaneous  praying  I  would  engage 
her  services  without  hesitation,  in  preference  to  her 
more  experienced  parent.  At  least,  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  petition  of  this  sweet  young  lady  was  heard 
and  the  barbarous  appeal  of  the  old  man  was  lost  on 
its  way  up  to  the  celestial  bar. 

My  visit  to  the  sick  chamber  seemed  to  act  as  a 
general  pacificator.  Even  the  old  man  smiled  as  I 
met  him  in  the  porch.  The  men  were  not  insulted 
any  more  that  night.  Supper  and  lodging  were 
ensured  without  more  quarreling  on  our  part. 


112  WAX  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 


CHAPTER  XII. 


7]  FTER  supper  I  was  again  requested  to  visit  the 
(§)  sick  room.  My  fair  patient  asked  me  if  I  had 
ever  shed  human  blood.  (These  Quakers  are  peculiarly 
averse  to  a  lavish  expenditure  of  sanguineous  fluid). 
I  told  her  I  was  sorry  to  confess  I  had,  on  many 
occasions.  She  rolled  up  her  pretty,  expressive  eyes  in 
great  horror.  I  dissipated  the  painful  impression  as 
speedily  as  possible  by  defining  my  position,  explain- 
ing that  a  profound  sense  of  duty  and  humanity 
prompted  me  to  shed  blood.  It  was  not  through  a 
savage  or  cruel  propensity  I  did  it,  but  my  purpose 
was  to  save  life  and  avert  pain.  My  object  was  charity 
and  good  will  to  mankind,  and  my  instruments  were 
the  lancet  and  the  scalpel,  not  the  murderous  bullet, 
sabre,  or  bayonet. 

"The  good  Lord  will  reward  you  for  your  kindness 
and  charity  to  his  creatures,"  was  the  fervent  and 
apparently  sincere  ejaculation  of  my  pious  young 
patient. 

I  assured  her  that  I  looked  alone  to  that  source  for 
reward,  for  surely  men  are  rarely  if  ever  known  to  pay 
a  doctor's  bill — that  if  the  good  Lord  forgot  me  I  most 
certainly  would  go  unpaid,  This  playful  turn  of  our 


SURGEON  OF  AfOSB  Y'S  COMMAND  113 

conversation  brought  a  very  interesting  smile  to  the 
handsome  face  of  my  fair  patient,  and  she  seemed  to 
forget  all  about  her  fancied  approximation  to  *.he 
gaunt  arms  of  the  grim  old  monster,  Death.  I  was  now 
on  very  good  terms  with  the  whole  family. 

Our  men  were  made  comfortable  for  the  night.  I 
parted  with  the  several  members  of  this  Union  family 
with  reciprocal  expressions  of  kindly  feeling.  Will  the 
reader  be  surprised  to  learn  that  the  old  hypocrite  sent 
a  secret  messenger  many  miles  to  a  Yankee  camp  to 
betray  us  while  we  slept?  Such  was  the  fact.  By 
sunrise  the  rangers  were  up  and  ready  for  a  raid.  Our 
horses  were  fed  before  the  dawn  of  day,  and  the  men 
were  conversing  in  groups,  awaiting  their  breakfast. 
We  observed  the  old  man  of  the  house  very  busy.  He 
was  actively  engaged  in  carrying  water  from  the  spring, 
with  a  large  wooden  bucket  in  each  hand,  to  fill  a  huge 
cauldron.  This  ponderous  vessel  rested  upon  a  cir- 
cular brick  wall  built  for  its  support.  The  old  man 
had  deposited  nearly  one  hundred  gallons  of  water  in 
this  colossal  kettle.  I  observed  the  activity  with 
which  he  worked  yet  could  not  divine  his  purpose.  I 
was  leaning  against  a  tree  listening  at  the  significant 
sound  of  our  alarm  bugle,  when  young  Sclater,  one  of 
our  most  mischievous  and  witty  fellows,  approached 
me  with  a  sly  look  and  asked  me  if  the  boys  might 
play  a  trick  on  the  old  man.  I  asked  him  if  it  was  a 
simple,  or  serious  trick  that  he  proposed  to  play.  "It 
won't  hurt  him,  and  he  deserves  it,"  was  the  reply, 
followed  with  an  air  of  injured  innocence,  by  the 


114  WAR  ItmtttflSCENCES  ftY  THE 

remark,  that  the  old  cuss  had  been  asked  why  he 
carried  so  much  water  to  the  cauldron,  to  which  he 
had  answered,  with  the  same  anger  manifested  on  our 
first  interview,  that  "it  was  to  wash  the  bed-clothes 
that  had  been  soiled  by  those  dirty  rascals,  Mosby's 
cut-throats  and  thieves ;"  that  he  would  have  to  scour 
out  the  rooms  they  occupied,  and  boil  the  bed-clothes 
to  destroy  the  vermin ;  that  he  had  been  robbed  and 
ruined  by  the  infamous  scoundrels. 

"What  trick  do  you  propose  Sclater?"  I  asksd. 

"When  he  gets  his  cauldron  nearly  full  we  want  to 
upset  it  on  him  as  he  comes  up  the  hill  with  a  bucket 
in  each  hand,  so  he  can't  get  out  of  the  way." 

After  hearing  this  new  and  unprovoked  insult,  I 
readily  gave  my  consent  for  the  boys  to  amuse  them- 
selves at  the  expense  of  the  old  hypocrite. 

Six  strong  men  leaned  against  the  huge  iron  vessel, 
prepared  to  lift  it  from  its  base,  so  soon  as  the  old  man 
came  within  proper  range  of  this  aqueous  battery.  It 
was  a  curious  scene.  The  old  man  approached  with  a 
full  bucket  in  each  hand.  He  ascended  a  slight 
elevation  to  reach  the  point  of  his  proposed  deposit. 
When  within  eight  feet  of  the  cauldron,  with  a  quick 
and  powerful  effort  it  was  upset  and  its  contents  dashed 
against  the  approaching  Quaker  with  such  force  that 
he  was  washed  back  almost  to  the  spring  from  whence 
he  came.  Wet,  mad,  and  covered  with  mud,  he  yelled 
'  with  rage  and  ran  around  with  as  little  method  in  his 
muscular  functions  as  a  small  boy  is  expected  to  dis- 
!  play  when  he  has  unexpectedly  intruded  upon  the  pro- 


SURGEOtf  OF  MOSS  Y'S  COMMAND.  llo 

cincts  of  a  hornet's  nest,  without  the  advantage  of  a 
formal  introduction  to  those  active,  brave  and  inde- 
pendent insects.  Before  we  had  recovered  from  the 
merriment  occasioned  by  this  new  entertainment,  the 
alarm  bugle  could  be  heard  distinctly  in  the  direction 
of  the  Quaker  church.  A  scout  came  in  to  inform  us 
that  the  whole  command  was  ordered  to  meet  at  the 
church  without  delay. 

As  our  horses  were  being  saddled,  I  was  summoned 
to  the  front  porch  by  the  chubby  old  lady  of  the 
house.  To  my  utter  surprise,  she  thanked  me  for  my 
kindness  to  the  family,  and,  with  one  arm  extended 
above  her  head,  pronounced  a  blessing  upon  me,  ask- 
ing that  the  Lord  might  forgive  me  for  associating 
with  such  evil  companions  and  great  sinners  as  Mosby's 
men;  and  that  my  kindness,  charity,  good- will  and 
valuable  services  to  my  fellow  creatures,  might  bo 
rewarded  in  due  season  with  plenteous  grace  and 
much  more  of  the  same  sort.  For  all  of  these  kindly 
sentiments  I,  of  course,  felt  profoundly  grateful. 

Before  the  old  lady  completed  her  benediction,  how- 
ever, that  obstreperous,  uncouth,  long-nosed  young 
rebel,  Willie  Mosby,  with  his  usual  awkwardness,  seri- 
ously marred  the  sentiments  of  her  appropriate  appeal, 
by  the  audible  assertion  that  "the  good  old  woman 
was  mistaken  in  the  subject  of  her  prayer,"  and  that 
"the  doctor  was  decidedly  the  wildest  and  meanest 
man  in  the  lot."  This  uncalled-for  and  provoking 
declaration  of  the  Adjutant,  shocked  my  moral  sensi- 
bilities so  much  that  I  have  scarcely  forgiven  the 
young  barbarian  for  his  offensive  suggestion  to  this  day. 


116  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

Bidding  a  hasty  and  affectionate  farewell  to  the 
Quakers,  we  hurriedly  mounted  and  rode  rapidly  to 
the  place  of  rendezvous.  On  our  arrival  at  the  brick 
church  we  found  the  battalion  ready  for  work,  with  the 
gallant  Mosby  in  command.  He  instantly  disclosed 
the  circumstances  that  brought  us  so  suddenly  together. 
He  said  the  old  gentleman  whose  house  had  given  us 
shelter  the  previous  night  had  betrayed  us  by  sending 
a  messenger  to  General  Hancock,  commanding  at  Win- 
chester. This  messenger  had  informed  the  enemy 
that  our  force  numbered  five  hundred  men,  and  that 
we  were  robbing  the  Union  men  of  Loudoun  county; 
that  the  people  were  anxious  for  relief,  asking  that  a 
large  force  be  sent  immediately  to  sweep  Mosby  and 
his  men  out  of  their  county.  In  answer  to  this 
appeal  from  my  old  host,  the  Quaker,  General  Hancock 
had  ordered  the  Twelfth  Pennsylvania  cavalry  and  a 
Michigan  regiment  of  infantry  to  do  the  old  man's 
bidding.  How  Mosby  discovered  so  soon  and  so  accu- 
rately the  facts  in  the  case  I  have  never  ascertained, 
but  all  he  told  me  on  that  occasion  was  verified  by 
subsequent  events.  He  pointed  in  the  direction  of  the 
Blue  Ridge  mountains  to  a  cloud  of  dust,  and  asked 
me  if  I  knew  the  cause.  I  told  him  I  had  often 
seen  such  phenomenon  before,  and  that  it  indicated 
a  moving  column  of  troops.  He  said,  "that  is  the 
force  we've  got  to  whip  to-day."  I  told  him  that, 
from  the  amount  of  dust,  I  thought  he  must  be  mis- 
taken ;  that  the  cloud  was  too  large  to  be  dispelled  by 
only  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  men;  that  our 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  117 

force  was  entirely  too  small  to  meet  two  regiments ; 
and  from  what  he  said  the  enemy  outnumbered  us 
more  than  ten  to  one;  that  I  was  not  a  graduate  of 
any  military  school,  but  I  had  a  right  to  my  opinion, 
nevertheless,  and  though  I  did  not  have  the  impu- 
dence or  presumption,  to  offer  a  successful  leader  like 
himself  anything  like  advice,  yet,  if  he  would  permit 
me  to  make  a  suggestion,  I  would  most  respectfully 
and  anxiously  recommend  that  we  take  our  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  men  back  into  the  county  of  Fau- 
quier,  with  all  the  promptness  and  speed  consistent 
with  a  sound  of  military  reputation;  that  I  had  read 
of  a  great  many  battles  where  an  inferior  number 
vanquished  a  superior  number.  I  remembered  dis- 
tinctly the  great  Napoleon's  statement  that  he  never 
calculated  the  numerical  strength  of  his  enemies,  but 
depended  entirely  on  the  discipline  and  organization 
of  his  own  army;  yet  I  could  not  be  made  to  believe, 
before  the  engagement,  that  we  could  defeat,  rout,  cap- 
ture or  kill  one  thousand  six  hundred  men  with  only 
one  hundred  and  twenty-eight;  that  I  liked  what  peo- 
ple called  "good  nerve"  as  well  as  anybody — that  I 
admired  dash,  imd  would  not  mind  investing  pretty 
considerably  in  a  little  second-hand  glory  if  it  didn't 
cost  too  much — but,  when  the  odds  were  so  heavy 
against  us,  I  also  had  some  regard  for  common  sense, 
reason  and  prudence.  The  great  partisan  chief  laughed 
immoderately  at  my  reasoning,  and  told  me  that  his 
system  had  never  failed  him,  and  he  felt  just  as  cer- 
tain of  success  as  if  his  followers  outnumbered  the  foe. 


118  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

He  expressed  such  confidence  and  certainty  regarding 
the  results  of  this  unequal  prospective  conflict  that  I 
felt  somewhat  encouraged  by  the  sheer  impudence  of 
his  assertions.  He  gave  such  apparently  sound  rea- 
sons why  his  small  command,  scientifically  handled? 
could  defeat  a  much  larger  force  managed  according 
to  the  old  methods,  that  I  began  to  regard  him  almost 
as  much  of  a  military  genius  as  an  irresponsible  mad- 
man. He  had  already,  in  person,  been  within  short 
musket  range  of  the  enemy's  column,  and  told  me 
that  he  knew,  within  one  company,  how  many  he  had 
to  fight.  He  had  counted  their  wagons  and  ambu- 
lances, which  property,  he  said,  must  be  captured. 
Also,  he  said,  the  Pennsylvania  cavalry  had  some  very 
good  horses  that  would  suit  his  men  very  well,  and  we 
must  have  them.  I  had  been  quite  intimate  with 
many  of  our  most  distinguished  officers  of  the  regular 
service  and  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  their  mili- 
tary ability,  yet  I  must  confess  that  there  was  some- 
thing so  absolutely  preternatural  in  the  assumption 
of  power  and  the  deliberate  daring  of  Mosby  I  have 
never  recognized  in  any  other  leader.  I  believe  his 
presence  before  the  enemy,  would  inspire  the  most 
abject  craven,  with  almost  heroic  courage. 

I  had  heard  the  thunder  of  all  the  greatest  battles 
of  the  war,  and  had  become  accustomed  to  the  noise, 
the  carnage,  and  the  peril  of  the  hottest  engagements 
on  our  continent ;  yet  there  is  something  about  the 
quiet  preparation  of  a  small  number  of  partisans  to 
attack  ten  times  their  number  of  regulars,  that  gives 


SURGEON  OF  MOSS  Y'S  COMMAND.  119 

more  time  for  reflection,  and  consequently  imparts  to 
the  soldier  a  more  acute  and  definite  sense  of  cautious 
prudence  than  the  artillery  storm  of  Gettysburg  or  the 
sulphurous  hell  of  the  Crater.  Some  men  are  born  for 
particular  callings  with  as  absolute  an  instinct  as  a 
pointer  dog  is  bom  with  a  nose  for  game.  Mosby  had 
the  sharp,  well-marked  cunning  for  his  desperate  busi- 
ness that  the  sleuth  hound  has  for  the  trail  of  a  fugi. 
tive.  He  seemed  to  possess  two  distinct  and  separate 
natures.  When  in  a  state  of  repose  and  not  in  the 
presence  of  the  foe,  he  was  quiet,  gentle  and  sociable, 
fond  of  jest  and  railery,  would  laugh  with  boyish  glee 
over  a  good  joke,  and  enjoy  with  acute  zest  a  witty 
anecdote  or  a  lively  narrative.  I  had  never  seen  him 
when  his  true  genius  was  ignited  by  the  active  excite- 
ment of  the  fray.  He  was  not  the  same  individual. 
He  looked  like  a  different  man. 

I  remember  well  with  what  rapidity  and  caution  he 
concealed  his  men  in  ambush  that  bright  spring  morn- 
ing. One  hundred  and  twenty  men  and  horses  were 
placed  near  the  broad  turnpike,  so  carefully  hidden  in 
their  position  behind  the  brushwood  that  an  army 
might  pass  within  fifty  paces  without  perceiving  them. 
With  eight  selected  followers  the  cunning  chief  sallied 
forth  and  skirmished  with  the  vanguard  of  the  advanc- 
ing foe.  This  ruse  was  intended  to  decoy  the  enemy 
into  the  ambush  prepared  for  them.  Many  shots  were 
exchanged,  but  the  enemy  did  not  pursue  the  decoying 
party.  Mosby  would  sometimes  ride  within  range  of 
the  musketry  and  expose  himself  to  their  fire,  yet  they 


120  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

would  not  pursue  him.  He  returned  to  his  ambush 
and  ordered  us  to  proceed  by  a  rapid  and  circuitous 
route  a  few  miles  further  in  the  direction  of  the  small 
town  of  Harmony.  Here  we  were  again  concealed, 
awaiting  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  The  same  strat- 
egy was  again  attempted  with  like  unprofitable  result. 
Most  of  the  day  was  spent  in  the  effort  to  ambush  and 
surprise  the  advancing  column,  but  without  success. 
Late  in  the  evening  we  discovered  that  they  were  pre- 
paring to  go  into  camp  at  Harmony.  Mosby  imme- 
diately placed  us  once  more  in  ambush,  one  mile  from 
the  village,  on  the  side  of  a  broad  turnpike.  The  head 
of  our  column  rested  within  a  few  paces  of  a  broad  and 
well  fenced  road.  He  then  selected  tea  men  and  dashed 
wildly  through  the  enemy's  camp,  firing  and  }relling 
like  madmen.  The  cavalry  mounted  in  great  confu- 
sion and  gave  chase  to  the  desperate  partisans.  This 
was  the  result  desired  by  the  cunning  chief.  More 
than  half  the  cavalry  followed  in  hot  pursuit  and  were 
led  into  the  deadly  ambush.  Mosby,  in  person,  con- 
ducted the  decoying  squad.  When  the  column 
advanced  upon  our  concealed  position,  with  the  rapid- 
ity of  thought  he  dashed  out  of  the  road  and  awaited 
the  enemy  at  the  head  of  his  own  column.  Nearly 
one  hundred  men  had  passed  the  point  of  our  intended 
attack,  when  the  order  to  charge  was  given.  I  have 
never  witnessed  a  more  gallant  charge  or  a  more  com- 
plete victory.  Nearly  one  company  of  the  enemy  was 
entirely  cut  off  from  their  column.  They  were  cap- 
tured without  difficulty.  The  remainder  of  the  regi- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  121 

ment  was  repulsed  and  routed.  Our  gallant  boys,  with 
a  yell  and  a  shout,  chased  them  back  into  their  camp. 
The  infantry  had  formed,  and  as  their  own  cavalry 
came-  back  in  great  confusion,  opened  a  deadly  fire 
upon  their  friends.  From  the  number  of  wounded 
men  I  examined  after  the  fight,  and  the  nature  of  their 
wounds,  I  feel  certain  a  large  proportion  of  the  wounded 
fell  by  the  fire  of  their  own  infantry. 


122  WAR  REMINISCENCES  By  THE 


CHAPTER   XIII. 


^UHE  brilliant  affair  at  Harmony  resulted  in  a  decided 
[  victory  for  the  guerrilla  forces.  Our  small  number 
of  valiant  raiders  killed,  wounded  and  captured  a  large 
number  of  Yankees.  We  also  appropriated  many  very 
good  horses,  once  the  property  of  the  United  States 
Government,  but  unprofitably  used  by  the  Twelfth 
Pennsylvania  cavalry.  A  reader  unacquainted  with 
Colonel  Mosby's  tactics,  may  indulge  in  an  unnecessary 
display  of  incredulity  when  he  reads  that  one  hundred" 
and  twenty-eight  partisans  did  signally  defeat  and 
actually  rout  ten  times  their  own  number  of  well 
armed  and  trained  regular  troops.  Yet,  as  remarkable 
as  sucli  a  statement  may  appear,  it  is  nevertheless  a 
true  history  ot  the  engagement  at  Harmony.  What 
may  seem  still  more  startling  to  the  peaceful  reader,  is 
the  insignificance  of  our  loss  compared  with  the  seri- 
ous casualties  on  the  part  of  the  enemy.  In  killed, 
wounded  and  captured,  the  enemy's  loss  did  not  fall 
far  short  of  one  hundred ;  Mosby's  loss  was  one  (the 
noble  and  gallant  Binford, of  Richmond), killed;  Chew 
(a  brother  of  Captain  Chew,  of  the  artillery)  and  Pri- 
vate Manning  (once  a  captain  on  General  Longstreet's 
staff),  wounded.  This  was  the  first  engagement  I  had 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  123 

witnessed  on  the  true  principles  of  Mosby's  method  of 
warfare.  Had  I  not  been  present,  it  would  have  been 
difficult  to  convince  me  that  one  company  of  partisans 
could  have  routed  two  regiments  of  regular  soldiers, 
inflicting  a  loss  of  several  hundred  and  sustaining 
only  the  trivial  loss  of  three  men. 

On  many  occasions  I  had  listened  to  the  roar  of 
artillery  and  the  incessant  roll  of  musketry  for  many 
consecutive  hours,  with  only  a  small  number  of  casual- 
ties, to  mark  the  murderous  result  of  noisy  warfare. 
On  this  occasion  our  boys  were  armed  only  with  Colt's 
army  revolvers.  Tis  true,  each  partisan  carried  twelve 
charges  in  his  belt.  The  fight  lasted  only  a  few  min- 
utes, and  the  road,  for  nearly  one  mile,  was  literally 
covered  with  dead  and  wounded  men  and  horses. 
Private  Sinclair,  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight,  discovered 
a  Yankee  lieutenant  who  wore  a  brilliant  diamond 
ring.  The  partisan  pursued  him  into  the  town  of 
Hamilton  and  into  the  porch  of  a  private  residence, 
and  shot  him  dead.  The  ring  could  not  be  readily 
removed  from  the  finger.  He  amputated  the  finger 
and  procured  the  jewel. 

This  remarkable  encounter  was  really  the  last  battle 
of  the  war.  Our  command  was  operating  entirely 
within  the  enemy's  lines.  We  had  no  certain  or  direct 
communication  with  the  government  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy.  The  stirring  and  significant  scenes  that 
marked  the  dying  agonies  of  the  Confederacy  were 
unknown  to  the  partisan  battalion.  We  were  gallantly 
contending  against  overwhelming  odds,  with  a  success 


124  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  modern  warfare.  We 
had  not  been  informed  of  the  events  that  were  closing 
around  our  devoted  capital.  The  last  reliable  intelli- 
gence wo  had  received  from  Richmond,  was  a  dispatch 
from  General  Lee  informing  Mosby  that  Sheridan  was 
preparing  a  strong  force  of  mounted  infantry  at  Win- 
chester for  the  purpose  of  sweeping  the  Valley  with 
fire  and  sword.  With  rare  accuracy,  the  actual  route 
he  subsequently  followed  was  foretold  by  that  unerring 
and  grand  old  General.  We  were  at  supper  when 
Mosby  received  this  dispatch.  He  smiled,  and  said  to 
me:  "Doctor,  your  old  town  of  Charlottesville  will 
soon  be  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,"  and  gave  me  the 
dispatch  to  read.  This  communication  from  General 
Lee — the  last  we  ever  received  from  him — informed 
us  that  the  line  of  march  proposed  by  Sheridan 
would  embrace  Harrisonburg,  Staunton,  Waynesbo- 
rough,  Charlottesville  and  Gordonsville,  and  finally 
unite  with  Grant's  army,  then  at  Petersburg.  He 
requested  Mosby  to  fall  upon  Sheridan's  rear  and 
retard  his  march  up  the  Valley.  We  struggled  hard 
to  cross  the  Shenandoah  river,  in  a  desperate  effort  to 
comply  with  this  request,  but  fate  was  against  us.  The 
stream  was' immensely  swollen  by  heavy  rains,  and  we 
found  it  impossible  to  ford  it  at  any  point. 

Totally  ignorant  of  the  events  that  were  hourly 
sounding  the  death-knell  of  our  government,  we  strug- 
gled on,  with  bright  hopes  of  final  success.  During 
the  month  of  March  we  had  won  victories  against  enor- 
mous odds.  We  had  captured  many  prisoners  and 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  125 

valuable  army  supplies,  and  had  succeeded  in  inflicting 
severe  loss  upon  the  enemy  wherever  we  met  him. 

The  month  of  April  now  opened  upon  us  with 
improved  prospects.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chapman 
had  returned  to  us  with  his  six  hundred  men  that  had 
wintered  in  the  Northern  Neck,  and  Mosby  was  making 
active  preparations  for  a  brilliant  spring  campaign. 
Our  men  were  cheerful  and  our  chief  was  in  high 
spirits.  Many  of  the  bravest  veterans  of  the  regular 
army  were  rapidly  filling  the  ranks  of  our  companies, 
and  Mosby  was  busy  reorganizing  new  ones.  About 
this  time  there  was  a  force  composed  of  renegade  Vir- 
ginians, called  Key's  battalion,  with  headquarters  at 
Harper's  Ferry.  These  natural  children  of  a  spurious 
patriotism,  commanded 'by  an  outlaw  of  nature  named 
Key,  annoyed  the  true  people,  called  rebels,  con- 
siderably, and  from  their  knowledge  of  individuals 
and  families  betrayed  many  of  the  best  citizens  of  the 
vicinity  of  Harper's  Ferry  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  Mosby  organized  a  company  of  veterans  and 
placed  the  gallant  Baylor  in  command.  Baylor  was 
one  of  the  Colonel's  favorites.  Mosby  had  a  way  of 
his  own  in  forming  companies  and  selecting  officers. 
He  always  submitted  his  new  organizations  to  severe 
ordeals.  Baylor  was  a  young  man  of  uncommon  cour- 
age. His  new  company  was  organized  and  placed 
under  his  command  in  the  morning,  and  directed  to 
visit  Harper's  Ferry  that  night  to  ascertain  what  could 
be  accomplished  in  a  collision  with  Key's  Virginia  ren- 
egades. 


126  WAR  1ZEMINSCENCES  £Y  TllE 


The  morning  following  this  event  a  messenger 
arrived  at  Mosby's  headquarters  with  a  dispatch  from 
Captain  Baylor,  stating  that  he  had  obeyed  the  orders 
of  his  colonel  ;  had  visited  Harper's  Ferry;  met  Major 
Key  and  his  command,  and,  though  the  Virginia  Yan- 
kees outnumbered  his  company  three  to  one,  he  had 
been  fortunate  enough  to  capture  the  party,  and  now 
held  them  as  prisoners,  awaiting  further  orders.  This 
information  gave  great  pleasure  to  the  Colonel.  He 
expressed  the  opinion  that  young  Baylor  was  as  able 
and  as  true  as  the  best  officer  in  his'  command,  and  he 
expected  much  from  him  in  the  future. 

The  news  from  Baylor  put  the  whole  command  in 
a  good  humor.  We  rode  rapidly,  and  in  high  spirits, 
to  the  quarters  of  the  gallant  captain.  As  soon  as  we 
arrived  I  gathered  such  Northern  newspapers  as  were 
found  on  the  prisoners.  Mosby  was  in  the  best  humor 
I  had  ever  seen  him.  He  was  laughing  and  talking 
rapidly  and  cheerfully  with  Captain  Baylor  and  his 
prisoners,  while  I  gathered  a  package  of  Baltimore 
papers  and  retired  to  a  seat  upon  a  log  to  read  the 
news.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  shock  and  mortifica- 
tion that  I  received  on  opening  the  first  newspaper. 
It  was  the  Baltimore  American.  Double  leaded  col- 
umns told  of  the  fall  of  Richmond  and  the  surrender 
of  General  Lee.  In  the  midst  of  our  triumph  over  the 
capture  of  Key's  battalion,  I  read  the  death  warrant  of 
the  Confederacy.  I  was  so  suddenly  and  completely 
shocked  that  I  could  not  realize  the  fact.  Even  under 
the  startling  announcement,  that  consoling  element 


SUR&EOtf  OP  MOSB  Y'S  COlfatAtfD  127 

that  clung  to  the  bottom  of  Pandora's  box,  though 
considerably  debilitated,  clung  to  me.  Hope  was  not 
dead,  but  dying.  I  still  held  on  to  the  possible  chance 
offered  by  the  universal  tendency  of  the  enemy  to  lie. 
I  knew  that  most  of  their  success  throughout  the  terri- 
ble annals  of  war  had  been  accomplished  by  their 
facile  art  of  lying.  They  had  lied  under  all  circum- 
stances ;  and  had  made  public  and  private  lying,  pro- 
fessional and  individual  lying,  general  and  local  lying, 
legislative,  judicial,  and  executive  lying,  civil,  legal, 
and  military  lying,  written  and  oral  lying,  perform 
all  the  functions  of  nerve,  of  numbers,  of  shell  and 
shot,  of  artillery  and  musketry,  and  had  so  often  suc- 
ceeded, by  their  universal  panacea  of  falsehood,  in  con- 
verting the  most  disastrous  defeat  into  the  most  bril- 
liant victory,  that  I  yet  hoped  the  startling  announce- 
ment of  the  fall  of  our  capital  and  the  surrender  of 
our  army  was  a  part  and  .parcel  of  the  same  wide- 
spread and  universal  system  of  lying  that  had  been 
displayed,  with  such  wonderful  success,  for  four  long 
years  of  war.  With  that  dreadful  emotion,  of  hope 
contending  against  despair,  that  only  a  parent  feels 
while  watching  the  hurried  breath  and  sunken  eye  of 
a  loved  child,  I  called  Mosby  to  me  and  with  one  ques- 
tion, "Is  that  true,"  pointed  to  General  Wetzel's  dis- 
patch from  the  city  of  Richmond.  The  stern,  brave, 
intrepid  soldier  gazed  at  the  fatal  lines  that  foretold 
the  death  of  our  country  and  our  cause,  and  I  gazed 
at  him  with  the  same  intense  feeling.  When  I  saw 
tears  gather  in  his  eyes,  I  lost  all  hope.  Other  officers 


128  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

of  the  battalion  gathered  around  us.  Many  of  these 
hardened  veterans  that  had  faced  death  in  every  form 
that  the  monster  could  present  himself,  with  unblanched 
cheek  and  steady  hand,  now  dropped  their  heads  in 
profound  grief.  The  heavy  sigh  and  moistened  eye 
interpreted  their  deep  feeling  better  than  language 
could  express  it. 

"Woe  betide  a  country  when 
She  sees  the  tears  of  bearded  men." 

It  was  indeed  difficult  to  realize  that  these  men  were 
the  same  that,  only  a  few  moments  before,  so  joyfully 
cheered  the  victorious  Baylor.  To  dream  of  the  daz- 
zling, resplendent  glories  of  heaven,  and  awake  amidst 
the  burning  marl  and  dismal  fires  of  hell,  may  dimly 
portray  the  grim  emotional  contrast  that  played  upon 
the  hearts  of  these  brave  men. 

The  great  leader  of  the.valiant  clan  was  dumb  with 
grief.  For  the  first  time  in  an  eventful  life  the  quick 
fire  of  his  fertile  genius  was  suddenly  extinguished  by 
the  startling  violence  of  this  terrible  calamity.  For 
years  his  whole  heart  had  been  wrapped  in  the  fiery 
struggle  for  Southern  liberty.  No  man  ever  offered 
up  his  life  for  any  cause  with  more  cheerful  resigna- 
tion than  had  our  dauntless  chief  in  hundreds  of  des- 
perate conflicts.  He  had  no  other  thought  than  the 
service  cf  his  country.  His  entire  being  was  so 
engrossed  with  the  dreadful  work  of  the  soldier,  that  the 
sudden  and  unexpected-downfall  of  the  Southern  Gov- 
ernment, crushed  him  under  its  intolerable  weight. 
His  followers  gathered  around  him,  speechless,  and 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.          129 

shrouded  in  the  dark  mantle  of  unutterable  grief. 
The  great  cause  was  lost.  Virginia's  motto  reversed. 
"  Freedom  shrieked  when  Koskiusco  fell ;"  brave  men 
wept,  when  the  glorious  Southern  cross  went  down. 
Mosby  was  the  first  in  the  group  to  break  the  painful 
silence.  With  the  Baltimore  American  in  one  hand 
and  pointing  to  the  ominous  report  of  General  Wetzel 
with  the  other,  he  said,  "  Our  poor  country  has  fallen 
a  prey  to  the  conqueror.  The  noblest  cause  ever 
defended  by  the  sword  is  lost.  The  noble  dead  that 
sleep  in  their  shallow  though  honored  graves  are  far 
more  fortunate  than  their  survivors.  I  thought  I  had 
sounded  the  profoundest  depth  of  human  feeling,  but 
this  is  the  bitterest  hour  of  my  life."  While  uttering 
these  sentiments  that  seemed  to  well  from  the  deepest 
recesses  of  his  overburdened  heart,  his  faithful  fol- 
lowers, mate  with  grief,  gazed  upon  his  fixed  and 
rigid  features.  He  looked  the  very  image  of  despair. 
If  the  cubless  tigress  in  her  desolate  jungle,  could 
imitate  her  human  cousin,  by  moistening  her  grim 
visage  with  tears  of  distress,  she  would  doubtless  resem- 
ble our  mortified  chief  in  haggard  features  and  hope- 
less gloom. 

Those  faithful  hearts  that  had  followed  the  varying 
fortunes  of  the  Confederate  battle-flag  were  deeply 
wounded  men  when  that  glorious  ensign  fell  to  rise  no 
more.  The  hallowed  memories  that  cluster  around 
the  old  banner  will  never  be  effaced  from  the  heart  of 
the  true  Southern  soldier.  Yet,  what  strange  emotions 
spring  from  the  same  cause,  though  prompted  by 


130  '  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

opposite  motives.  While  Mosby  wept,  and,  like 
Rachel,  would  not  be  comforted  because  he  had  lost 
his  country,  my  assistant  surgeon,  Dr.  Dunn,  com- 
plained bitterly  from  a  different  cause.  The  doctor  had 
just  returned  from  a  successful  raid  in  Maryland,  where 
he  had  robbed  some  belligerent  merchant  out  of  a  few 
hundred  greenbacks,  and  was  exceedingly  jubilant  over 
his  spoils.  Just  as  Mosby,  with  a  tremulous  voice  and 
frame  shaken  by  the  deepest  feeling,  poured  out  his 
earnest  lamentations  from  his  aching  and  overbuy 
dened  heart,  Dr.  Dunn  arose  in  an  awkward  manner, 
and  with  expressive  though  uncouth  gestures,  said  in 
a  loud  voice :  "This  is  just  like  all  the  rest  of  my  d — d 
luck.  If  the  world  had  been  a  cow  I  would  have  been 
its  infernal  tail,  I  expect.  Now,  I  have  been  fighting 
for  several  years  in  bad  luck — not  making  a  cent — 
and  just  as  I  was  getting  in  a  good  way  of  making 
money  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  the  d — d  thing 
busted  up."  This  timely  and  ridiculous  expression  of 
my  avaricious  assistant,  somewhat  aroused  our  mor- 
tified comrades  from  their  gloomy  reflections.  The' 
glaring  contrast  between  the  mercenary  mortification 
of  Dunn  and  the  patriotic  anguish  of  Mosby,  changed 
for  the  moment,  the  train  of  our  melancholy  thoughts. 
Now  for  the  first  time  we  were  brought  face  to  face  with 
the  most  unpleasant  realities  that  can  possibly  disturb 
the  equanimity,  or  ruffle  the  temper  of  a  true  soldier. 
Our  minds  had  been  heretofore  filled  with  only  one 
purpose,  and  that  was  to  oppose  unto  death  a  powerful 
enemy.  Now  we  had  to  reflect  upon  the  possibilities 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  131 

and  probabilities  of  a  good  or  a  bad  reception  by  the 
men  we  had  fought  so  long  and  so  earnestly.  Will 
they  receive  us  as  prisoners  of  war  or  hang  us  as  out- 
laws? "To  be  or  not  to  be,  that  is  the  question.'1. 
Notwithstanding  the  clear  and  positive  testimony 
borne  by  the  Baltimore  American  that  our  capital  had 
fallen  and  the  noble  old  army  of  Northern  Virginia  had 
surrendered  at  Appomattox,  Mosby  once  more  disposed 
his  men  into  several  raiding  parties  to  continue  our 
unequal  contest  as  if  nothing  of  importance  had  trans- 
pired. 


132  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


T  T  7ITII  that  peculiar  military  audpcity  so  charac- 
teristic  of  Mosby,  he  disposed  his  men  in  raiding 
squads,  and  sent  them  throughout  Loudoun,  Fauquier, 
Clarke,  Frederick  and  Culpeper.  His  followers  all 
felt  that,  Othello  like,  their  occupation  was  gone. 
Yet  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  their  chief,  they 
seemed  as  earnest  in  their  efforts  to  kill,  capture  and 
annoy  the  common  enemy,  as  if  nothing  unusual  had 
occurred.  One  bright  Sabbath  morning,  Mosby  and 
three  of  his  followers,  Sclater,  Hern  and  another,  \vcro 
concealed  in  the  brush-wood  bordering  the  broad 
turnpike  a  short  distance  below  Winchester;  their 
horses  were  picketed  a  few  paces  from  them  in  the 
woods.  The  chief  was  awaiting,  as  was  his  custom,  to 
catch  any  stragglers  or  stray  Yankees,  that  might  pos- 
sibly venture  near  his  lair.  By  such  means  ho  fre- 
quently obtained  useful  information  regarding  the 
position  of  troops  or  the  locality  of  wagon  trains,  also 
careless  ambulances  and  army  supplies.  He  had  a 
peculiar  attachment  to  sutler's  stores.  He  once  captured 
the  same  sutler  three  times ;  on  the  third  occasion  the 
itinerant  military  merchantman  exclaimed,  in  decid- 
edly broken  German,  "  Cur-nel,  dees  is  de  teird  dime-, 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  133 

end  I  vil  not  schtand  mit  it  enny  moor."  The  three 
raiders  were  not  long  concealed  in  their  cover  when 
the  inveterate  Hern  exclaimed,  "Colonel,  thar  comes 
one  live  Yank  and  two  town  gals."  After  waiting  a 
few  moments  the  laconic  order  was  given,  "Go  out, 
Hern,  and  fetch  them  in."  In  Jess  time  than  it  takes 
to  write  this  incident  the  uncouth,  rugged  and  ragged 
Hern  walked  back  into  the  brush,  bringing  with  him 
a  remarkably  well  dressed  young  man.  This  young 
man  looked  every  inch  a  beau  of  the  lower  class,  and, 
indeed,  like  anything  else  than  a  soldier.  He  was 
dressed  in  black  and  was  as  well  jewelled  as  the  best 
modern  timepiece.  He  wore  glittering  rings  and  a 
flashy  breast-pin,  besides  any  quantity  of  gold  watch- 
chains.  It  seems  that  he  had  indulged  in  an  unusually 
long  walk  with  two  fashionable  young  females  from 
the  town  of  Winchester  on  that  bright  Sabbath  morn- 
ing. He  had  evidently  put  on  his  best  harness  and 
most  costly  jewelry.  Hern  was  one  of  the  most  daring 
of  Mosby's  fighting  men,  but,  like  Hugo's  description 
of  Cambronne,  he  was  a  very  rough  specimen  of  the 
cjtuus  Jtotno.  Most  of  our  men  were  remarkable  for 
cleanliness  of  person  and  exquisite  taste  in  military 
dress.  Hern  was  the  opposite  of  this  habit.  He  wore 
a  ragged  Confederate  gray  jacket,  out  at  the  elbows, 
and  fringed  by  time  in  various  places.  His  rough 
Confederate  boots  had  seen  their  best  days ;  they  were 
out  at  the  toes,  and  run  down  at  the  side,  with  short 
trousers,  and  an  old  dilapidated  Yankee  overcoat  torn 
in  many  places.  Hern  looked  every  inch  a  clumsy 


134  WA  A'  7?  KMI  XIN<  '/vAV  '/&>'  B  Y  THE 

clown  in  a  sea  of  trouble.  This  was  the  figure  that 
brought  into  the  bushes  the  remarkably  well  dressed 
Yankee  beau,  and  with  an  air  of  confused  awkwardness, 
introduced  him  to  Mosby,  "Say,  Kernel  Mosby,  here 
is  the  feller ;  what  must  I  do  with  him,  an'  shel  I  fetch 
the  gals  in?"  At  the  sound  of  Mosby's  name,  the  well 
dressed  stranger  trembled  and  stammered  an  expres- 
sion of  surprise.  "Is  this  Colonel  Mosby  I  have  heard 
so  much  about,  that  kills  and  eats  his  prisoners?" 
The  Colonel  grinned  one  of  his  most  interesting  and 
ghastly  grins  at  this  significant  interrogation,  and 
answered  in  the  affirmative  that  he  was  the  man.  At 
this  the  unfortunate  and  alarmed  prisoner  cried  out 
with  a  loud  voice,  "Oh!  my  God,  Colonel,  don't  keel 
mee,  I  am  a  poor,  miserable  sinner  and  I  ain't  pre- 
pared to  die.  Colonel,  forgive  me,  I  ain't  no  soldier 
no  how."  On  bended  knee  with  uplifted  hands  this 
frightened  creature  begged  most  piteously  for  his  life. 
The  trembling  wretch  seemed  disposed  to  unbosom 
himself  on  all  topics.  The  Colonel,  desiring  to  have  a 
private  interview  with  the  stranger,  touched  him  signi- 
ficantly on  the  shoulder  and  with  that  enlightened 
grin  that  only  Mosby  could  execute,  beckoned  him  to 
follow  further  into  the  dense  woods.  In  passing  near 
his  horse  Mosby  carelessly  reached  out  his  hand,  and 
shaking  one  of  his  huge  cavalry  pistols  from  its  holster, 
said,  "  Now  I  want  you  to  tell  me  the  truth  in  answer  to 
any  and  all  questions  I  shall  ask  you."  The  frightened 
wretch,  on  seeing  the  stern  visaged  chief  take  the  dread- 
ful instrument  of  death  from  his  holster,  and  feeling 


SURGEON  Of  MOS£  Y>8  COMMAND.  135  ' 

absolutely  certain  that  lie  was  doomed  to  immediate 
and  certain  death,  fell  on  his  knees  again,  and 
implored  the  savage  looking  Colonel  to  spare  his  life. 
"Oh!  my  God,  I  can't  stand  it;  I  shall  run  if  you  are 
going  to  kcd  me — you  said  you  would  not  keel  me,  and 
now,  now,  now,  you  are  going  to  do  it.  Oh  !  have  mercy 
on  me.  I  am  a  poor  fallen  sinner,  and  ain't  prepared  to 
die  now."  The  only  reply  the  grim  chief  made  to  this 
pusillanimous  appeal  was,  "You  are  very  well  dressed 
for  a  poor  fallen  sinner,  and  I  have  already  told  you 
that  I  shall  not  hurt  you  if  you  will  only  tell  me  the 
truth." 

After  considerable  conversation  in  a  low  tone 
between  the  Colonel  and  his  frightened  prisoner, 
both  returned  to  the  side  of  the  road.  Mosby 
turned  to  his  men  and  said:  "Hern, go  through  him." 
The  unfortunate  and  frightened  creature  evidently 
regarded  this  order  as  his  absolute  and  irrevocable 
death  warrant.  He  did  not  understand  the  meaning 
of  that  much-used  term  in  guerrilla  tactics.  The  term 
"go  through  him"  only  means  to  relieve  the  sufferer 
of  any  loose  greenbacks  or  superfluous  jewelry  that 
may  cling  about  his  person  after  the  entertaining  pro- 
cess of  capture  has  been  consummated.  "Now,  now* 

0  Lord !  you  order  that  man  to  keel  me,  after  all  your 
promises.     What  difference  does  it  make  to  me  whether 
you  keel  me  or  that  other  man  keels  me  ?    I  shall  run, 

1  shall  run,  if  you  shoot.     0  Lord  !  have  mercy  on  my 
soul.     Don't  keel  mel    Oh,  don't!  for  God's  sake,  don't! 
I  will  do  anything  you  say  if  you  spare  my  life." 


136  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

Even  the  coarse,  unfeeling  and  clumsy  Hern  felt  sorry 
for  the  craven,  cowardly  wretch,  and  explained,  in  his 
primitive  style,  that  he  was  ordered  not  to  kill  him 
but  to  appropriate  his  personal  effects  in  a  very  peace- 
ful and  unostentatious  manner ;  that  if  he  would  only 
keep  quiet  long  enough  and  stop  all  that  infernal  beg- 
ging and  palavering  he  would  soon  show  him  by  actual 
practice  the  difference  between  killing  a  customer 
and  simply  "going  through  him,"  secundem  artem. 
"  Now  let  me  show  you,"  said  Hern.  "  For  instance, 
your  coat  is  better  than  mine.  I  am  gwyne  to  trade 
that  garment  wid  you."  "  Certainly,  yes,  by  all  means," 
said  the  alarmed  customer.  "I  will  swap  coats  with 
you;  certainly  I  will."  "Well,  then,"  said  Hern, 
"  your  boots  are  better  than  mine,  and  that  ain't  right 
neither."  To  this  unjust  assertion  the  accommodating 
stranger  yielded  a  ready  assent.  He  seemed  altogether 
too  willing  to  yield  to  every  wish  and  approve  every 
suggestion  made  by  the  barbarous  if  not  villainous 
Hern.  The  rough  guerrilla  robber  appropriated  each 
and  every  piece  of  jewelry  and  article  of  clothing  that 
suited  his  fancy,  and  insisted  on  the  stranger  wearing 
his  old  costume.  The  mind  of  the  prisoner  was  very 
impressible  to  all  the  whims,  desires  and  wishes  of  his 
inspector.  Hern  deliberately  exchanged  his  several 
articles  of  clothing  with  his  victim.  No  man  ever 
manifested  more  pleasure  in  being  robbed  than  did 
this  unlucky  beau  of  Winchester,  when  he  discovered 
that  his  life  was  safe.  He  would  have  been  happy  in 
the  privilege  of  escorting  his  lady  friends  back  through 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  137 

the  streets  of  Winchester  in  no  better  raiment  than 
was  the  progenitor  of  the  human  race  attired  when 
playing  with  snakes,  robbing  orchards,  and  flirting 
with  Eve  in  the  garden  of  Eden.  In  examining  the 
contents  of  the  stranger's  pockets,  we  discovered  the 
true  cause  of  his  great  alarm  in  the  presence  of  Col- 
onel Mosby.  One  of  the  pockets  contained  a  remarka- 
ble document.  It  was  in  pamphlet  form,  of  the  cheap 
dime  novel  order.  It  was  printed  on  the  cheapest  and 
coarsest  paper.  The  typography  was  dreadfully  bad 
and  the  subject  matter  still  worse.  This  curious  spe- 
cimen of  cheap  Yankee  literature,  was  fearfully  and 
wonderfully  made.  It  pretended  to  be  the  life  of 
Mosby  and  a  history  of  his  command.  It  was  fanci- 
fully illustrated  with  the  clumsiest  wood  cuts.  Some 
of  the  illustrations  represented  Mosby  and  his  men  at 
breakfast.  Hideous  pictures  of  rough  Confederate  sol- 
diers around  a  camp  fire,  with  dead  Union  soldiers 
before  them  in  every  stage  of  mutilation  that  the  savage 
fancy  of  an  excited  fool  could  possibly  suggest.  Hag- 
gard, lean  and  famished  men  were  represented  with  a 
slice  of  human  flesh  pierced  by  a  bayonet  or  ramrod, 
and  held  over  the  burning  embers  to  broil  as  a  savory 
dish  for  the  palate  of  the  wild  and  hungry  partisan. 
This  quaint  illustrated  narrative  of  Mosby's  command, 
if  believed  by  the  superstitious  hoodlums  of  the  North, 
must  have  impressed  those  benighted  savages  with 
intense  horror  and  abnormal  dread  of  the  Confederate 
partisan.  No  savage  ever  conceived  the  horrors  of 
war  as  they  were  described  and  pictured  in  this  gro- 


138  WAR  REMINISCENCES  P>  Y  THE 

tesque  literary  fiasco.  Mosby  was  represented  by  the 
hideous  wood  cuts  something  in  form  between  a  cen- 
taur and  a  vampire,  as  he  fed  with  ravenous  gusto 
upon  the  choice  steaks  and  tender  cutlets  of  heroic 
Yankee  prisoners. 

After  a  perusal  of  this  specimen  of  Northern  fiction 
it  is  easy  to  comprehend  why  the  well-dressed  barba- 
rian, was  so  dreadfully  alarmed  when  he  found  himself 
suddenly  in  the  presence  of  the  great  king  of  the  can- 
nibals. I  have  no  doubt  the  unhappy  fool  believed 
that  fate  had  fattened  him  as  a  choice  repast  for  the 
horrid  bloodsuckers  of  Mosby's  command.  When  he 
saw  the  Cassius-looking  guerrilla  chief  take  from  his 
holster  a  murderous  weapon  and  walk,  with  Tarquin's 
ravishing  strides,  through  the  brushwood,  it  is  easy  to 
imagine  the  inexpressible  horror  that  darkened  his  ter- 
rified soul. 

If  'tis  true,  as  Csesar  said  it  was,  that  brave  men  die 
only  once,  but  cowards  many  times,  this  demoralized 
captive  must  surely  have  expired  once  a  minute  for  the 
several  hours  of  the  fearful  ordeal  to  winch  he  was 
submitted  in  this  dreadful  interview.  He  had,  no 
doubt,  amused  the  charming  young  Union  females 
during  their  promenade,  with  the  blood-curdling  stories 
of  Mosby  and  his  ferocious  cannibals.  He  had  probably 
shown 'them  the  pictures  of  hungry  and  savage  rebels 
feeding  upon  the  sweet  tender  loin  flesh  of  youthful  Union 
braves.  He  was  young,  green,  fresh,  and  from  his  conduct 
and  dress,  must  have  been  a  successful  ladies'  man.  What 
he  had  learned  about  Mosby  and  his  men  was  evident- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSSY' S  COMMAND.         139 

ly  derived  from  the  published  record  in  his  pocket,  and 
that  record  was  not  only  in  print,  which  fact  made  it 
unquestionably  true,  but  then  its  statements  were 
corroborated  by  expressive  illustrations,  and  the  reader 
could  see  for  himself  that  Mosby  and  his  men  were 
actually  devouring  the  flesh  of  the  Union  prisoners. 
Any  one  could  see  them  eating  it  in  the  pictures ;  then 
who  could  be  so  skeptical  as  refuse  to  believe,  what 
could  be  seen  even  with  the  naked  eye.  Hern  carefully 
and  with  great  deliberation,  divested  the  gaudy  young 
dandy  of  every  species  of  personal  property  that  could 
be  rationally  utilized  by  a  thoughtful  warrior,  and 
kindly  assisted  in  dressing  the  victim  in  his  own  well 
worn  and  untidy  articles  of  dress.  When  the  work  of 
exchanging  garments  was  complete,  the  mother  of  the 
young  Union  dandy  would  not  have  known  her  son. 
He  was  of  smaller  stature  than  the  robust  and  uncouth 
Hern ;  the  stranger's  black  vestments  fitted  their  new 
possessor  very  tight,  while  the  raiment  of  the  rough 
partisan,  hung  loosely  on  the  more  meagre  person  of  the 
beau.  Indeed  the  clothes  of  Hern  fitted  the  fop  too 
much,  and  the  fop's  clothing  hugged  the  clumsy  figure 
of  Hern  with  the  uncomfortable  contraction  that  a 
straigh  t  jacket  holds  on  to  the  limbs  of  a  maniac.  The 
two  females  awaited  patiently  the  return  of  their  un- 
lucky escort,  with  that  blessed  feminine  adaptability  so 
characteristic  of  the  sex.  They  were  amusing  them- 
selves with  promiscuous  giggling  and  walking  around 
each  other  in  total  ignorance  of  the  fate  of  their 
companion,  nor  did  they  seem  to  cure  whether  he 


140  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

returned  to  them  again  or  not.  Nothing  could  look 
more  ludicrous  than  did  the  Union  dandy  after 
the  process  of  "going  through  him"  had  been  scrupul- 
ously accomplished.  Hern's  boots  were  much  too 
large  for  him,  and  his  toes  peeped  through  them  with 
a  constrained  air  of  retiring  modesty,  as  if  they  were 
ashamed  of  their  new  and  unaccustomed  license.  The 
old  Confederate's  trousers  were  too  long  for  him,  and 
they  bagged  about  his  unsubstantial  limbs  as  if  they 
wore  hanging  out  to  dry.  The  dilapidated  blue  overcoat 
out  at  the  sleeves  and  dangling  in  many  melancholy 
folds  over  his  narrow  shoulders,  wrought  incalcula- 
ble violence  to  the  law  that  presides  over  the  eternal 
fitness  of  things.  The  mournful  slouched  felt  hat  was 
not  the  only  thing  felt  on  that  eventful  occasion.  The 
wearer  felt  happy,  that  he  had  only  lost  a  few  articles- 
of  worthless  jewelery,  exchanged  a  cheap  suit  of  shoddy 
broad-cloth  for  the  grotesque  uniform  of  a  modern 
cannibal,  and  had  made  a  much  narrower  escape  than 
Daniel  had  leisure  to  dream  of  in  the  lion's  den.  From 
the  peculiar  manner  he  wagged  off  in  the  direction 
of  the  females,  I  am  convinced  he  felt  happy  in  his 
novel  and  unbecoming  costume.  He  did  not  depart 
with  a  strut,  nor  did  the  movements  of  his  form  betok- 
en pride,  but  there  was  an  airy  swing  about  Hern's 
old  blue  overcoat,  as  it  gracefully  waved  an  adieu  to 
ihe  scenes  of  morbid  fear  and  mortal  peril,  that  told  of 
blessed  relief  from  great  tribulations.  The  appearance 
of  the  receding  captive,  was  ludicrously  monstrous. 
Ho  seemed  to  think  aloud:  "I  was  dead  and  am  now 


SURGEON  OF  MO&SY'S  COMMAND.  Ill 

alive.  My  flesh  has  escaped  the  digestive  powers  of 
voracious  cannibals.  Though  decked  in  the  ragged 
ugliness  of  a  rebel  uniform,  I  can  once  more  breathe 
the  pure  atmosphere  of  heaven  and  live."  He  did  not 
walk  the  turnpike  like  a  thing  of  life,  but  rather 
wriggled  his  slow  course,  in  the  direction  of  the  two 
females.  They  awaited  his  approach  with  gestures  and 
motions  that  implied  astonishment  and  curiosity 
combined.  As  he  came  they  gradually  receded  from 
him,  as  if  alarmed  at  his  changed  .appearance.  He  was 
so  unlike  their  dandified  escort  of  the  early  morning, 
that  they  seemed  not  to  realize  the  change  that  had 
transformed  a  cheap  and  highly  wrought  beau  of  the- 
morning  to  a  hideous  guy  at  noon.  We  could  distinct- 
ly hear  the  screams  and  laughter  that  announced  the 
recognition  of  our  late  prisoner.  The  two  females 
seemed  afraid  of  their  beau.  They  moved  slowly  from 
him  as  he  awkwardly  approached  them.  The  three 
figures  receded  in  the  direction  of  Winchester,  and 
disappeared  over  a  slight  elevation  of  the  road,  the 
females  still  screaming  with  laughter  and  their 
disguised  escort  walking  slowly  after  them. 


142  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 


CHAPTER    XV. 


legions  of  the  North,  like  the  folds  of  a  mon. 
|  strous  reptile,  had  contracted  upon  the  emaciated 
form  of  the  Southern  Confederacy  until  all  evidence  of 
vitality  or  hope  of  resuscitation  had  been  extinguished. 
Eight  hundred  battle-scarred  and  war-worn  veterans 
yet  maintained  a  military  organization  against  the 
sovereign  authority  and  well  armed  minions  of  Fede- 
ral authority.  Nothing  could  be  more  utterly  hope- 
less than  was  our  condition  after  the  fall  of  our  capital 
and  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia. 
Yet  true  to  the  dire  instincts  of  determined  and  invete- 
rate purpose,  our  stubborn  chief  fought  on.  The  blood- 
marked  annals  of  diabolical  war,  tender  no  record  of 
heroism,  superior  to  that  manifested  by  the  officers  and 
men  of  Mosby's  command.  Let  the  future  historian 
comment  as  he  will  upon  the  errors  that  marked  the 
decline  and  fall  of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  The 
maudlin  sentimentalist  may  eulogize  the  victor  and 
condemn  the  vanquished.  The  soulless  sycophant 
may  fawn  and  flatter  the  successful  hero  of  the  hour, 
the  human  parasite  may  cling  to  the  corrupt  tyranny 
of  despicable  fraud.  The  brainless  snob  may  incur 
the  contempt  of  true  manhood  by  the  pusillanimity 


SURGEON  OF  MOSH  Y'S  COMMAND.  143 

that  worships  the  living  ass  and  calumniates  the  dead 
lion.  But  whatever  may  have  been  the  faults  or  fol- 
Ii3s  of  the  South  during  the  great  struggle  for  what 
she  held  most  dear,  no  man  of  unsullied  character  will 
dare  assert  that  her  sons  were  inferior,  in  patriotism  or 
courage,  to  any  race  or  people  that  ever  lived  or  died. 
The  month  of  April,  in  the  year  1865,  marked  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  the  North  American  Republic 
that  will  be  long  remembered  by  the  victors  and  the 
vanquished  that  participated  in  that  memorable  strug- 
gle. Richmond  had  fallen,  Lee  had  surrendered,  and 
the  ragged  remnant  of  Confederate  regulars,  com- 
manded by  General  Johnston,  were  surrounded  as  by 
a  circle  of  fire,  and  were  helpless,  hopeless,  under  the 
ponderous  guns  of  General  Sherman.  Shadowed  by 
such  gloomy  auspices,  Mosby  continued  to  annoy  the 
enemy  by  every  conceivable  method  his  fertile  genius 
could  suggest.  While  the  reverberations  of  artillery 
at  Winchester  resounded  along  the  mountains  and 
valleys  of  the  lovely  Piedmont  country  in  honor  of  the 
Federal  conquest,  and  as  a  solemn  requeim  of  the  dead 
Confederacy,  our  raiding  parties  were  busy  catching 
sutlers,  frightening  quartermasters,  and  capturing  pri- 
soners and  supplies  with  a  cool  indifference  to  the 
decrees  of  fate  that  looms  up  as  a  crude  and  curious 
incident  of  transcendental  audacity.  Our  leader  was, 
in  the  fullest  acceptation  of  the  term,  a  man  of  charac- 
ter. Conventional  laws,  or  the  established  rules  of 
society,  and  the  ordinary  modes  of  thought  were  habit- 
ually ignored  in  his  conduct  and  action  alike.  With 


144  ]YAIt  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

uncommon  quickness  of  conception  and  promptness  of 
execution  he  followed  alone  the  dictates  of  his  own 
original  and  decided  reason.  What  appeared  irra- 
tional to  other  men  he  would  assume  as  the  perfection 
of  wisdom. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  a  beautiful  spring  day,  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  official  papers  ever  written  by  one 
military  officer  to  another,  was  received  by  Colonel 
Mosby  from  General  Hancock.  This  extraordinary 
epistle  was  addressed  to  "Colonel  J.  S.  Mosby,  C.  S.  A.," 
and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  partisan  'battalion 
on  terms  similar  to  those  accepted  by  General  Lee 
from  General  Grant,  and  an  offer  to  parole  all  strag- 
glers from  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  but  excluded 
from  that  benefit  the  "guerrilla  chief  Mosby."  The 
significant  fact  that  General  Hancock  should  have 
been  instructed  by  the  War  Department  to  conclude 
terms,  with  a  military  officer,  and  at  the  same  time 
refuse  to  recognize  or  acknowledge  him  as  such  an 
officer,  discloses  and  emphasizes  the  wild  hallucina- 
tion that  inflamed  and  influenced  the  government  at 
this  interesting  epoch  of  our  history.  The  calamitous 
act  of  a  lunatic  in  the  assassination  of  the  lamented 
Lincoln,  only  indicated  the  widespread  insanity  of  that 
unhappy  period.  To  treat  with  Colonel  Mosby  as  an 
officer,  qualified  to  transact  important  and  responsible 
military  functions,  and  consider  him.  an  outlaw,  quali- 
fied to  sign  his  own  death  warrant,  at  the  same  time 
on  contract,  bears  strong  evidence  of  official  insanity. 

A  government  cannot  be  regarded  "non  compos 
mentis;"  yet  such  an  act  would  indicate  unsound- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND  145 

ness  of  mind  in  an  individual.  The  morning  this 
startling  intimation  of  an  ignominious  death  reached 
our  chief,  he  was  on  the  road,  as  usual.  The  powerful 
government  had  declared  our  chivalrous  commander 
an  outlaw. 

Before  departing  from  Colonel  Carter's  that  beauti- 
ful April  morning,  the  fair  daughters  of  Glen  Welby 
had  decorated  his  hat  with  bright  flowers  and  rare 
taste.  His  horse's  head  was  also  decorated  with  the 
same  beautiful  emblems  of  early  spring.  He  looked 
as  happy  as  a  bridegroom  before  the  honeymoon's 
eclipse.  The  gaudy  appearance  of  our  leader  was  in 
glaring  contrast  with  the  gloom  of  our  environment 
and  its  dismal  associations  of  disaster  and  defeat.  I 
have  never  seen  a  more  sudden  change  than  his  fea- 
tures expressed  when  he  scanned  the  purport  of  Gene- 
ral Hancock's  letter.  From  high  spirits  to  low,  from 
brightest  gaiety  to  black  despair,  from  sunlight  and 
spring  flowers  to  the  hangman  and  the  scaffold,  seemed 
the  extremes  of  sensation  that  scaled  the  gamut  of 
his  emotions.  With  compressed  lip  and  distended 
nostril,  he  looked  the  very  embodiment  of  fierce  deter- 
mination. It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  a  more  painful 
situation  than  that  of  our  brave  commander.  We  had 
nerved  ourselves  to  bear  the  most  terrible  calamities 
that  a  protracted  and  bloody  war  could  bring  us  in  its 
train  of  unnumbered  woes.  We  were  schooling  our 
nerves  to  the  stoic  tension  demanded  by  the  sudden 
loss  of  that  cherished  liberty  for  which  we  had  fought 
so  steadfastly,  so  earnest,  and  so  long.  But  now  we 


146  WAR  RElflXISCENCES  BY  THE 

were  confronted  with  a  new  and  cruel  feature  in  the 
panorama  of  mental  torture — the  disgraceful  death  of 
our  brave  commander.  In  behalf  of  poor  humanity, 
with  all  its  errors,  its  crimes  and  its  infamies,  let  it  be 
said  that  Mosby's  followers  were  not  afraid  to  die,  as  men 
should  die,  before  they  would  submit  to  surrender  their 
chief  to  the  scaffold.  Many  plans  and  schemes  were 
discussed  by  the  officers  and  men.  A  proposition  was 
made  to  keep  the  command  in  tact  and  cut  our  way 
through  all  obstacles  into  Mexico.  We  knew  that  the 
ill-fated  Maximilian  had  offered  strong  inducements  to 
officers  of  experience  to  join  his  army.  Many 
expressed  their  convictions  that  Mosby  would  cut  his 
way  easily  through  the  Federal  forces  and  plant 
his  well-earned  military  laurels  upon  the  sunny  plains 
of  Mexico.  Wild,  extravagant  and  irrational  as  this 
suggestion  may  now  appear  under  the  luminous  glare 
of  recent  history,  it  met  with  the  almost  unanimous 
approval  of  the  officers  and  men.  Mosby  knew  well 
the  unselfish  devotion  of  his  followers,  and  how  ready 
and  willing  they  were  to  sacrifice  their  lives  in  his 
defence.  He  decided  to  communicate  with  General 
Hancock.  He  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chap- 
man, the  surgeon  of  his  command,  his  adjutant  and 
Captain  Frankland,  to  bear  the  following  communica- 
tion to  the  Federal  general  W.  S.  Hancock,  at  Win- 
chester. 

"APRIL  15,  1865. 
"  Major-  General  W.  S.  Hancock,  Commanding,  &c.: 

"  General — I  am  in  receipt  of  a  letter  from  your  chief 
of  staff,  Brigadier-General  Morgan,  enclosing  copies  of 


SURGEON  OF  MOSS  Y'S  COMMAND.  147 

correspondence  between  Generals,  Grant  and  Lee,  and 
informing  me  that  you  would  appoint  an  officer  of 
equal  rank  with  myself  to  arrange  details  for  the  sur- 
render of  the  forces  under  my  command.  As  yet  I 
have  no  notice,  through  any  other  source,  of  the  facts 
concerning  the  surrender  of  the  Army  of  Northern 
Virginia,  nor  in  my  opinion  has  tho  emergency  yet 
arisen  which  would  justify  the  surrender  of  my  com- 
mand. With  no  disposition,  however,  to  cause  the 
useless  effusion  of  blood,  or  to  inflict  on  a  war-worn 
population  any  unnecessary  distress,  I  am  ready  to 
agree  to  a  suspension  of  hostilities  for  a  short  time,  in 
order  to  enable  me  to  communicate  with  my  own 
authorities,  or  until  I  can  obtain  sufficient  intelligence 
to  determine  my  future  action.  Should  you  accede 
to  this  proposition  I  am  ready  to  meet  any  person  you 
may  designate  to  arrange  the  terms  of  an  armistice. 
"  I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"JOHN   S.    MOSBY, 

"Colonel  C.S.  A." 

Lieutenant-Colonel  Chapman  had  recently  returned 
with  a  large  portion  of  the  command  from  his  winter 
campaign  in  the  Northern  Neck  counties  of  Virginia, 
and  was  not  present  during  our  conference  on  the  Han- 
cock correspondence.  Captain  Frankland,  Adjutant 
Willie  Mosby  and  myself  left  Glen  Welby  in  the  even- 
ing bearing  the  letter  of  Colonel  Mosby  to  General 
Hancock,  and  arrived  at  Colonel  Chapman's  before 
night.  Colonel  Chapman  had  been  married  only  a 


148  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

few  months.  We  found  him  in  his  parlor.  He  intro- 
duced us  to  Mrs.  Chapman,  and  after  a  brief  conversa- 
tion I  presented  Mosby's  letter  and  delivered  the  verbal 
instructions  regarding  our  visit  to  Winchester.  I 
discovered  instantly  that  I  had  committed  a  blunder 
in  transacting  this  business  in  the  lady's  presence. 
But  I  was  so  pre-occupied  with  the  grave  purpose  of 
our  visit  that  I  did  not  think  of  anybody's  nerves  but 
my  own.  I  was  soon  made  sensible  of  my  error. 
Very  naturally  Mrs.  Chapman  was  dreadfully  shocked 
at  the  proposition  to  take  her  husband  without  warning 
right  into  a  large  camp  of  the  enemy.  This  was  more 
than  the  nervous  system  of  any  reasonable  lady  could 
bear.  She  most  earnestly  and  vehemently  protested 
against  our  taking  the  Colonel  with  us  to  Winchester 
lest  he  might  be  imprisoned  or  murdered  by  the 
enemy.  I  endeavored  to  repair  the  result  of  my  inex- 
cusable blunder  in  not  conferring  with  the  Colonel  in 
the  absence  of  his  estimable  wife.  I  made  every  pos- 
sible effort  to  convince  her  that  there  could  be  no 
danger  in  our  visit  to  General  Hancock.  She  paid  no 
attention  to  my  repeated  assurances,  but  persisted  in 
her  nervous  reiteration  that  Colonel  Chapman  should 
not  go.  The  brave  and  chivalrous  Colonel,  in  as  calm 
a  mood  as  possible,  tried  to  soothe  her  fears  and  make 
it  clear  that  he  had  no  alternative  but  obedience  to  the 
order  of  his  superior  officer.  He  also  reminded  her 
that  the  war  was  ended  and  no  danger  of  any  kind 
attached  to  the  duty  before  us.  His  kind  and  affec- 
tionate expostulations  had  no  other  effect  than  to 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  149 

increase  the  nervous  alarm  of  his  wife.  When  she 
discovered  that  her  earnest  appeals  were  futile,  and  that 
she  was  powerless  to  save  her  husband  from  what  her 
imagination  had  pictured  as  certain  death,  this  estima- 
ble lady  became  unconscious  from  her  great  alarm. 
The  gallant  Colonel  quietly  bore  her  off  to  her  cham- 
ber and  left  us  for  a  few  moments  to  ourselves.  Food 
was  soon  prepared  for  our  journey  and  we  were  on  our 
way  to  Winchester.  The  weather,  that  seems  to  attune 
itself  in  accord  with  the  gay  or  gloomy  feelings  of 
humanity,  was  cold  and  cloudy,  with  a  sufficient  rain- 
fall to  depress  the  spirits  of  our  party. 

We  crossed  the  Shonandoah  river  at  Berry's  Ferry. 
The  water  was,  as  usual,  very  high,  and  the  ford  very 
unsafe.  By  swimming  our  horses  a  short  distance  we 
succeeded  in  reaching  the  opposite  shore,  only  wet 
enough  to  make  us  uncomfortable  for  the  night.  When 
we  reached  within  four  miles  of  Winchester,  at  10 
o'clock  P.  M.,  shelter  for  the  night  was  obtained  from 
a  hospitable  stranger.  The  proprietor  of  the  farm  was 
absent,  but  his  kind  lady,  with  that  hospitality  so 
characteristic  of  the  good  people  of  the  Valley,  pre- 
pared us  an  excellent  supper  and  made  us  feel  grateful 
and  comfortable.  We  were  conversing  sadly  regarding 
the  prospects  of  our  chiefs  deliverance,  when  the  pro- 
prietor returned  from  a  visit  to  Winchester.  Subject 
to  shock  and  surprise  as  we  had  been  for  four  years  of 
Avar,  we  could  not  be  prepared  for  the  sad  and  startling 
intelligence  brought  back  by  this  hospitable  stranger 
from  Winchester.  We  had  often  endured  the  humilia- 


150  WAR  REMINISCENCES  E  Y  THE 

tion  of  defeat,  and  oftener  revelled  in  the  wild  and 
glorious  triumph  of  victory.  In  efforts  to  secure  what 
we  earnestly  thought  and  believed  to  be  the  dearest 
rights  of  our  country,  we  had  scaled  the  loftiest  heights 
and  explored  the  profoundest  depths  of  human  feel- 
ings ;  yet  we  were  not  ready  for  the  shock  that  awaited 
us  on  that  eventful  night.  The  first  word  that  escaped 
the  lips  of  the  stranger  on  crossing  his  threshold  yet  ring 
in  the  oar  of  memory  like  the  melancholy  vibrations 
of  a  funeral  bell,  and  will  not  rub  out  from  the  tablets 
of  the  mind.  "Bad  news,  gentlemen."  Before  he 
proceeded  further  I  was  suddenly  impressed  with  the 
absurdity  of  any  news  being  bad  for  us.  Wo  had  lost 
all.  Even  hope  had  fled  from  us.  We  felt  that  death 
in  any  honorable  shape,  would  be  a  blessed  relief  to  a 
conquered  rebel.  What  intelligence  under  the  broad 
canopy  ol  heaven  could  be  tortured  into  bad  news  for 
us?  We  were  groping  in  the  dark.  Our  minds  were 
so  tossed  and  tormented  by  every  variety  of  misfortune 
that  we  were  almost  incapable  of  normal  reflections. 
The  news  was  bad,  and  bad  for  us — a  calamity  to  the 
civilised  world.  "Bad  news.  The  President  of  the 
United  States  has  been  assassinated,  and  Colonel 
Mosby  is  charged  with  the  horrible  crime." 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  151 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


'LJLJITH  all  our  accumulated  misfortunes  we  were 
not  prepared  to  encounter  this  unexpected  calam- 
ity. Our  errand  was  one  of  extreme  doubt,  anxiety 
and  uncertainty  without  this  new  unprecendented  and 
accidental  atrocity.  We  had  fought  earnestly  for  what 
we  had  conceived  to  be  a  noble  and  a  righteous  cause, 
and  we  were  willing  to. endure  every  form  of  human 
suffering  for  our  country's  honor.  But  we  had  never 
stooped  to  the  contemplation  of  dastardly  and  atrocious 
crime  for  the  accomplishment  of  our  purpose.  The 
intelligence  of  this  hideous  catastrophe  of  brutal  and 
unprovoked  assassination  shocked  and  paralyzed  the 
veterans  of  honorable  warfare.  We  felt  the  blow  as  a 
bitter  misfortune  that  must  inevitably  injure  the  fair 
name  of  the  cause  we  had  labored  so  earnestly  and  so 
faithfully  to  maintain  with  the  clean  hands  of  patriot- 
ism, honor,  and  a  courage  that  the  truth  of  history  is 
ever  solelmnly  charged  to  vindicate.  We  felt  that  the 
unblemished  character  of  those  noble  spirits  that  had 
passed  from  time  to  eternity  on  the  bloody  field  of  their 
country's  fame,  was  compromised  by  the  rash  act  of  a 
lunatic,  or  the  red  hand  of  foul  and  unpardonable  mur- 
der. We  knew  t/hat  our  chief  was  innocent  of  the. 


152  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

charge  that  connected  his  name  with  this  dreadful 
crime,  yet  we  felt  that  the  suspicion  was  a  base  insult 
to  our  leader  and  his  cause.  We  were  confident  that 
the  excitement  and  fury  the  murder  of  the  President 
must  create  would  surely  defeat  that  justice  we  were 
endeavoring  to  obiain  from  General  Hancock  in  our 
almost  hopeless  mission  to  Winchester.  Without  the 
power  of  foresight,  or  the  gift  of  prophecy,  we  knew 
enough  of  furious  hate  to  divine  the  probable  result  of 
this  unprovoked  and  egregious  crime.  Though  we 
could  not  conceive  of  the  unmitigated  brutality  that 
did  follow  this  great  and  hideous  offence,  we  knew  that 
the  base  passions  of  the  thoughtless  millions,  whose 
malice  had  already  been  manifested  in  no  uncertain 
manner  by  burning  dwellings,  indiscriminate  plunder 
of  defenceless  women  and  the  murder  of  young  chil- 
dren, would  not  be  soothed  or  abated  by  the  madden- 
ing crime  of  butchering  their  idolized  chief  magistrate. 
Tis  true,  we  did  not  think  that  a  powerful  nation 
would  debase  its  good  name  by  the  judicial  murder  of 
an  innocent  woman,  in  retaliation  for  a  crime  she  knew 
nothing  about ;  but  we  did  expect  harsh  treatment  at 
the  hands  of  an  exasperated,  merciless,  and  powerful  foe. 
The  people  of  the  South  could  not  have  encountered 
a  more  terrible  misfortune  than  the  untimely  and  vio- 
lent death  of  President  Lincoln.  Of  all  the  inhuman 
vampires  that  gathered  about  the  Republican  throne 
in  Washington  during  the  Reign  of  Terror  that  lasted 
from  1861  to  1865,  the  only  philanthropic  heart  of 
that  hardened  crew  was  the  heart  of  the  murdered 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  153 

President.  The  hissing  and  seething  cauldron  of  polit- 
ical corruption  that  distilled  devil's  broth  for  the 
American  people  during  the  administration  of  the 
unfortunate  Lincoln  became  tenfold  more  virulent  and 
unscrupulous  in  its  malignancy  when  that  kind-hearted 
political  philosopher  fell  by  the  hand  of  the  demented 
assassin.  Of  all  the  Northern  millions  that  fanned  the 
flames  of  hell  during  the  war,  Abraham  Lincoln  alone 
expressed  sincere  sympathy  for  his  erring  and  unfor- 
tunate fellow-citizens  of  the  South.  And  now  that  our 
fair  country  had  fallen  a  helpless  prey  to  the  conqueror, 
to  fill  the  bitter  cup  of  all  our  sorrows  we  were  informed 
that  our  only  mediator  and  advocate  had  been  foully 
murdered,  and  that,  too,  as  we  afterwards  learned,  by 
an  irresponsible  lunatic,  in  the  name  of  the  very  people 
his  unpardonable  infamy,  so  fearfully  outraged. 

After  a  restless  and  wretched  night  we  proceeded  on 
our  way  to  Winchester.  We  soon  came  in  sight  of  a 
Federal  picket,  composed  of  a  portion  of  the  Twelfth 
Pennsylvania  cavalry.  We  halted  and  prepared  a  flag 
of  truce  by  tying  a  white  handkerchief  to  a  stick.  Now 
a  new  question  presented  itself.  Who  shall  carry  this 
emblem,  of  enforced  humility?  Colonel  Chapman 
peremptorily  refused.  I  offered  the  doubtful  honor  to 
Captain  Frankland,  who  likewise  refused.  I  then 
thought  of  Adjutant  Willie  Mosby.  Notwithstanding 
his  distinguished  brother's  life  depended  so  much  on 
this  simple  sacrifice  of  puerile  pride,  the  Adjutant  also 
declined  the  honor  of  bearing  the  white  flag.  I  then 
discovered  that  our  mission  must  end,  or  I  must  vol- 


154  WAR  REMINSCENCES  B  Y  THE 

unteer  to  bear  this  humiliating  token  of  submission. 
To  great  souls  it  may  appear  as  a  trivial  sacrifice  of 
feeling  to  bear  a  flag  of  truce  under  the  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances of  our  case;  but  I  confess  the  emotions 
generated  by  the  simple  duty  of  transporting  a  small 
handkerchief,  attached  to  a  stick,  into  the  dense  col- 
umns of  our  old  enemies  was  anything  but  flatter- 
ing to  a  natural  sense  of  self-esteem.  I  decided  at 
once  to  perform  this  disagreeable  duty.  I  seized  the 
rude  and  hastily  improvised  emblem  of  temporary 
peace,  and  galloped,  with  as  much  show  of  indifference 
as  I  could  command,  up  to  the  line  of  pickets. 

About  this  time  the  roads  were  filled  with  Confede- 
rate soldiers  as  they  poured  in  from  every  direction  to 
surrender  and  receive  their  paroles.  The  first  question 
asked,  as  I  rode  up  to  the  picket  line,  was,  "What  com- 
mand, Major?"  As  I  returned  the  answer,  "Mosby's," 
a  loud  and  prolonged  shout  went  up  along  their  entire 
line.  One  bronzed  and  weather-beaten  old  veteran 
stepped  quickly  to  the  front  and  reached  out  his  hand. 
With  honest  face  and  sincere  tears  he  said,  with  con- 
siderable unction:  "Thank  God!  The  war  is  over.  I 
know  the  end  has  come  when  Mosby's  men  surrender." 
To  see  this  old  Pennsylvania  soldier  moisten  his  rough 
cheeks  with  tears  and  express  with  simple  earnestness 
his  unfeigned  enjoyment  at  the  flattering  prospect  of  a 
speedy  peace,  caused  me  to  forget  my  own  grief  and 
mortification.  For  the  first  time  I  was  made  to  under- 
stand that  these  men  were  earnest,  and  had  also  made 
many  sacrifices,  for  their  cause.  We  were  met  by  the. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  15  j 

hostile  troops  in  no  bombastic  spirit  of  insult  to  our 
misfortunes,  but  with  a  cordial  and  friendly  grasp  of 
the  hand  that  seemed  to  say  the  past  is  forgiven,  we 
are  friends  again.  It  is  strange  magic  indeed,  that  can 
change  the  inveterate  hatred  and  feuds  of  bitter  strife 
one  day  for  cordial  feelings  of  warm  friendship  the 
next.  We  had  expected  a  haughty,  if  not  an  offen- 
sive, reception  at  the  hands  of  our  old  enemies.  Our 
surprise  was  complete  when  those  men  we  had  fought 
with  such  savage  ferocity  a  few  days  before  now  shed 
tears  of  joy  as  they  greeted  us  once  more  as  members 
of  the  great  national  family. 

We  waited  only  a  short  time,  when  an  officer  came 
and  escorted  us  to  General  Reno's  quarters.  General 
Reno  was  in  command  of  the  troops  we  had  fought  so 
successfully  at  Harmony  only  a  short  time  before. 
He  seemed  glad  to  see  us,  and  offered  us  several  kinds 
of  liquors  and  the  best  Havana  cigars.  He  addressed 
several  questions  to  Colonel  Chapman  regarding  the 
condition  and  numbers  of  our  command.  The  Col- 
onel, being  a  much  better  fighting  man  than  conver- 
sationalist, answered  very  slowly.  The  General 
seemed  to  be  unable  to  keep  r.p  both  sides  of  the  con- 
versation, and  turning  direct  to  me,  asked  if  I  was  at 
that  little  affair  at  Harmony.  I  answered  in  the 
affirmative.  "Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  tell  me  how 
many  of  your  men  were  engaged  in  that  fight?"  ho 
asked.  I  assured  him  that  I  had  no  sort  of  objections 
to  imparting  whatever  information  I  possessed.  I  con- 
sidered the  war  at  an  end  and  our  task  as  finished;  we 


156  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

I) 

had  nothing  more  to  do  but  surrender;  that  it  would 
give  me  pleasure  to  accommodate  him  with  all  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  engagement  referred  to.  I  assured  him 
that  our  -force  on  that  occasion  was  very  small.  I 
remembered  well  the  officers  and  men  were  counted 
several  times  on  the  morning  he  referred  to,  and  that 
the  number  was  the  same.  I  was  present,  and  on 
each  occasion  when  they  were  placed  in  ambush  they 
were  counted,  and  the  exact  number  amounted  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty-eight,  all  told.  I  could  readily 
perceive  that  the  General  was  very  incredulous  about 
my  statement.  He  smiled  and  said:  "Twenty-eight 
thousand,  you  mean."  I  repeated  that  I  had  no  inte- 
rest or  motive  in  deceiving  him  or  misrepresenting 
facts,  and  if  it  was  all  the  same  to  him  I  preferred 
that  he  should  not  consider  me  mean  enough  to  utter 
falsehoods  only  for  amusement.  I  told  him  that  it 
was  natural  for  me  to  presume,  that  he  must  have  con- 
sidered our  force  much  larger  than  it  really  was,  or 
else  his  two  regiments  would  not  have  made  such  good 
time  in  hastening  to  the  rear;  and  that  it  was  more 
than  probable,  if  he  had  known  how  weak  we  were  in 
numbers,  his  troops  would  have  fought  better  and 
would  not  have  run  away  quite  so  fast.  He  seemed  to 
take  much  interest  in  my  account  of  Mosby's  method 
of  getting  what  he  used  to  call  the  "bulge"  on  the 
enemy,  and  I  thought  it  possible  Mosby's  system  of 
the  "bulge"  from  ambush,  might  have  been  mistaken 
by  him  for  one  or  two  extra  brigades.  It  was  some- 
what comforting  in  our  forlorn  situation,  to  compare 


SURGEON  OF  MOS£Y>S  COMMAND.  157 

notes  with  an  officer  we  had  so  recently  defeated, 
though  even  that  consideration  did  not  amount  to  a 
first-class  consideration,  in  the  face  of  our  preparations 
to  surrender  to  the  very  troops  we  had  routed.  The 
General  made  himself  as  agreeable  as  he  knew  how,  by 
doubting  all  my  statements  and  asserting  some  won- 
derfully plain  ones  on  his  own  account.  We  had  not 
waited  long  at  Reno's  tent,  when  two  officers  from 
General  Hancock's  headquarters  arrived  to  escort  us 
into  that  General's  presence.  The  two  officers  wore 
the  rank  of  colonel.  One  was  Colonel  Russell.  I  for- 
get the  name  of  the  other.  They  were  as  courteous 
and  affable  as  they  could  be,  and  much  more  so  than 
General  Reno.  They  informed  us  that  they  were 
instructed  to  conduct  two  of  us  to  General  Hancock's 
quarters.  Colonel  Chapman  and  myself  being  of 
higher  rank  than  Captain  Frankland  and  Lieutenant 
Mosby,  we  were  selected. 

Leaving  our  friends,  Willie  Mosby  and  Captain 
Frankland  at  Reno's  tent,  we  proceeded  at  once 
to  General  Hancock's  house.  A  rumor  had  been 
generally  circulated  throughout  the  army  that  Colonel 
Mosby  was  on  a  visit  to  General  Hancock,  and 
the  entire  army  turned  out  to  see  him.  The  road  to 
Winchester  was  rendered  almost  impassable  by  the 
mass  of  soldiers  gathering  through  curiosity  to  see  the 
guerrilla  chief.  General  Hancock  occupied  a  large 
brick  house  on  the  north  side  of  Main  street  in  Win- 
chester. With  some  difficulty  we  made  our  way 
through  the  dense  crowd  of  soldiers  in  blue  uniforms. 


138  WA 12  REMINISCENCES  £  Y  THE 

We  arrived  in  front  of  the  General's  quarters  and  dis- 
mounted. Our  polite  guides  proceeded  up  through  an 
iron  gateway  overhung  with  a  large  United  States  flag. 
It  seemed  to  me  that  this  flag  had  been  placed  there  as 
a  kind  of  compulsory  test  of  our  loyalty  to  the  new 
governmant  now  demanding  our  allegiance.  Colonel 
Chapman,  as  well  as  myself,  had  been  growing  more 
tame  and  familiar  with  Yankees,  yet  this  sudden  call 
to  pass  under  the  old  flag  aroused  the  slumbering  fires 
of  our  rebellious  pride,  and  I  moved  slowly  to  a  small 
side-gate  that  was  also  embellished  with  a  more  dimi- 
nutive display  of  stars  and  stripes.  I  deliberately 
removed  the  little  flag  and  gently  twirled  it  around 
its  small  staff,  then  laid  it  quietly  down  on  the  iron 
railing  of  the  fence.  This  movement  excited  a  smile 
on  the  handsome  faces  of  our  polite  and  courteous 
escort.  One  Yankee  colonel  looked  at  the  other 
Yankee  colonel  and  remarked  that  the  rebellion  was 
dying  hard.  We  passed  into  the  hall  of  a  large  brick 
house  and  was  informed  that  the  General  was  in  his 
room  and  would  soon  grant  us  an  audience.  We  were 
introduced  to  his  adjutant,  whom  we  found  a  very 
agreeable  and  pleasant  fellow.  In  a  few  moments' 
conversation  with  this  polite  officer  we  were  much 
impressed  with  his  good  manners  and  obliging  dispo- 
sition. He  sent  a  messenger  to  the  General's  room  to 
inform  him  that  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chapman  and 

Surgeon  ,  of  Mosby's  command  were  waiting  to 

see  him.  We  had  no  well-digested  plan  of  action  in 
the  event  the  General  refused  our  petition,  and  we  were 


OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  159 

not  so  sure  he  would  have  much  regard  for  our  flag  of 
truce.  Indeed,  we  were  really  at  the  mercy  of  our  old 
enemy,  and  felt  no  certainty  that  we  would  be  per- 
mitted to  return.  While  conversing  pleasantly  with 
Colonel  Russell  and  the  adjutant,  General  Hancock 
walked  into  the  hall.  We  were  introduced  by  Colonel 
Russell.  Fourteen  eventful  years  have  been  gathered 
to  Time's  bosom  since  that  interview,  yet  I  have  a  dis- 
tinct and  vivid  mental  vision  of  General  Hancock  as 
he  approached  us  and  cordially  grasped  our  hands. 
There  was  a  self-possession,  ease  and  benignant  dig- 
nity about  him  that  I  will  never  forget.  A  benevo- 
lent expression,  illumined  by  a  powerful  intellect, 
spoke  volumes  of  meaning  from  his  bright  and  hand- 
some face.  It  may  be  that  an  association  of  ideas, 
caused  by  receiving  kind  expressions  of  sympathy  and 
regard,  when  I  expected  a  harsh,  cruel  or  haughty 
reception,  impressed  me  so  favorably  with  this  true  gen- 
tleman and  distinguished  soldier.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
I  have  never  met  a  man  for  whom  I  have  a  higher 
regard,  or  more  profound  respect  than  I  have  even  at 
this  date,  for  General  Hancock.  I  had  never  before 
felt  at  all  ashamed  of  my  old  gray  uniform,  but  when 
this  true  soldier  held  my  hand  and  looked  kindly  and 
squarely  into  my  face  and  said,  in  a  firm  and  earnest 
voice, "  I  sympathize  with  you  in  what  you  believe  to  be 
a  great  misfortune.  You  have  fought  bravely,  and  have 
nothing  to  be  ashamed  of.  You  have,  like  gallant 
soldiers,  left  your  cause  to  the  God  of  battles,  and  the 
arbitrament  of  the  sword  has  decided  against  you. 


160  WAR  REMINISCENCES  R  Y  THE 

Let  us  once  more  kneel  down  at  the  same  altar  and  be 
like  brothers  of  the  same  household."  I  felt  I  suppose  as 
the  Prodigal  Son  ought  to  have  felt  when  he  dropped 
the  corn  husks  and  abandoned  his  riotous  living,  to 
return  once  more  to  the  home  of  his  father.  On  find- 
ing such  a  man  as  General  Hancock,  a  great  leader,  an 
accomplished  officer  and  a  perfect  gentleman,  against 
us,  I  for  the  first  time  encountered  a  doubt  as  to  the 
righteousness  of  our  cause.  This  noble  old  hero  was  so 
kind,  considerate  and  gentle  in  his  manner  to  us,  when 
we  had  so  little  to  expect  of  him,  that  he  conquered 
me  more  effectually  by  his  manly  sympathy  and  noble 
sentiments  than  could  have  been  done  \>y  brute  force 
and  military  despotism. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y  'S  COMMAND.  161 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


n^HROUGHOUT  the  dark  and  stormy  annals  of  our 
I  bitter  and  earnest  struggle,  all  the  worst  feelings  and 
attributes  of  that  wonderfully  incomprehensible  para- 
dox, Confederate  "humanity,"  hud  been  kindled  into 
a  living  blaze  of  active  hatred  for  all  Yankeedom.  In 
Dixieland  the  word  Yankee  was  a  generic  term  that 
implied  the  enlarged  significance  of  all  and  everything 
that  is  low  and  mean,  loathsome,  contemptible,  dis- 
gusting and  despicable.  The  Southern  soldier,  like  all 
other  men  when  sorely  tempted,  has  been  known  to 
steal,  but  never  with  the  readiness  or  alacrity  of  a 
member  of  Congress.  I  have  known  even  commis- 
sioned officers  of  the  Confederate  States  army  to  take 
what  Shakspeare  called  trash  that  didn't  belong  to 
them;  I  have  known  some  low-born  followers  of  tho 
Lost  Cause,  to  do  other  disreputable  things,  and 
amongst  others,  to  submit  to  charges  of  dishonesty, 
and  even  cowardice,  without  resentment;  but  I  have 
never  known  during  the  war,  a  single  instance  of  a 
Southern  soldier  submitting  to  the  intolerable  indig- 
nity of  being  called  a  Yankee.  No  other  epithet  in 
the  language  conveyed  such  intensified  insult  to  the 
Southern  ear.  It  is  the  general  opinion  of  mankind. 


162  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

that  a  sense  of  guilt  constrains  a  criminal  to  submit 
without  resistance  or  resentment  to  the  charge  of  crime. 
But  the  most  hardened  old  offender  of  the  Southern 
army,  would  not  brook  the  insult  of  being  called  a 
Yankee.  Sa  keenly  was  the  Southern  mind  cultivated 
by  prejudice,  hatred  and  passion,  against  the  public 
enemy,  that  the  most  ignorant  citizens  of  our  rural  dis- 
tricts believed  the  Yankee  a  kind  of  quadruped  with 
crooked  horns,  cloven  hoofs  and  hairy  tail.  I  remem- 
ber well  my  own  servant,  a  fat,  young,  burly  African, 
to  express  great  surprise  at  the  appearance  of  a  brigade 
of  Yankee  prisoners  captured  at  the  seven  days'  battle 
of  the  Chickahominy.  Henry  was  a  good  negro,  a 
badly  spoiled  slave,  and  a  great  coward.  He  had  care- 
fully concealed  himself  during  the  hottest  of  the  fight 
— like  some  of  our  more  distinguished  brigadiers — and 
when  the  thunder  of  artillery  and  the  rattling  of  mus- 
ketry had  subsided,  crept  quietly  out  of  his  cover,  to 
join  the  herd  of  human  jackals  in  their  ghastly  raid 
upon  the  pockets  of  the  dead.  I  remember  well  when, 
with  white  eyes  and  glistening  teeth,  contrasting  widely 
with  the  midnight  hue  of  his  jet-black  skin,  he  crawled 
through  the  underbrush,  cautiously  and  slowly,  to 
inquire,  with  an  air  of  intense  anxiety  mingled  with 
fear,  "  Massa,  is  dey  gwine  fit  agin  soon  ?  If  dey  is,  I 
gwino  way  fum  dis  he-er  place."  "No,  boy,"  I  replied, 
"the  battle  Is  over  ;  here  comes  a  large  number  of  Yan- 
kee prisoners ;  come  and  see  them."  Tho  bewildered 
African  gazed  with  anxious  curiosity  at  the  approach- 
ing column  of  prisoners,  until  they  came  very  near, 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  163 

then  turnining  suddenly  to  me,  asked,  "Is  dem  Yan- 
kees?" I  answered  him  affirmatively.  With  a  ludi- 
crous expression  of  astonishment  and  glee  that  only  a 
young  untutored  African  can  assume,  he  said:  "Why, 
lor!  dey  is  folks,  just'  like  our  folks,  only  dey  close  is 
blue.  If  dey  dress  like  de  res'  uv  us  you  couden'  tel' 
uni  fum  our  sodjers." 

I  discovered,  during  the  progress  of  the  war,  that 
my  henighted  servant  was  not  the  only  man  in  Dixie 
that  questioned  the  humanity  of  Yankees.  Not  only 
the  negroes  of  the  Southern  States,  but  a  great  many 
unsophisticated  white  folks,  had  grave  doubts  as  to  what 
classification  of  the  animal  kingdom  the  Yankee  pro- 
perly belonged.  They  entertained  a  vague  conception 
that  a  Yankee  was  something  not  well  defined  in  nat- 
ural history,  but  generally  considered  to  be  a  monstrous 
compromise  of  nature,  between  a  fish,  a  bird,  a  reptile 
or  a  beast  of  prey.  Neither  did  many  of  our  uncul- 
tured people  care  to  inquire  whether  Yankees  inhab- 
ited the  earth,  the  air,  or  the  deep  sea.  The  general 
impression  was  that  the  Yankee  could  be  amphibious 
if  he  chose  to  be,  and  that  he  could  crawl,  run,  fly  or 
swim;  that  he  fed  mostly  on  young  negroes,  and  was 
especially  noted  for  being  very  numerous  and  in  great 
many  places  at  the  same  time.  Scarcely  anybody 
doubted  that  he  was  a  voracious  and  ubiquitous  ani- 
mal, with  decided  prowling  and  nomadic  proclivities. 
Everybody  believed  that  his  ruling  passion  was  to  take 
what  did  not  belong  to  him,  and  that  he  was  exceed- 
ingly hard  to  please.  From  the  fact  of  his  being  to  a 


164  WAR  REMINISCENCED  B  Y  THE 

certain  extent  a  sort  of  unknown  quantity,  as  well  as 
quality,  the  imagination  of  the  more  ignorant,  and  con- 
sequently the  most  superstitious,  portion  of  our  people 
enjoyed  great  latitude.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing 
to  hear  the  boast  of  some  visionary  young  warrior  pro- 
claim, that  he  had  broken  a  Yankee's  wing  or  knocked 
off  a  Yankee's  horn  in  a  desperate  hand  to  hand  fight. 
There  was  a  great  variety  of  opinions  regarding  the 
habits  of  the  Yankees.  Many  thought  they  fought  to 
greater  advantage  by  climbing  trees,  and  if  overpow- 
ered they  would,  take  to  their  holes  like  squirrels. 
Others  declared  that  their  habit  was  to  burrow  in  the 
ground,  after  the  manner  of  the  prairie  dog,  or  the 
Florida  gopher,  and  always  to  turn  up  when  they  were 
least  expected  or  desired. 

The  impenetrable  mystery  that  gathered  around  the 
true  nature  of  this  remarkable  and  badly  understood 
animal,  exercised  a  great  moral  effect  upon  the  public 
mind.  Women  who  promenaded  the  lower  walks  of 
Southern  society,  would  frighten  their  young  children 
into  obedience  by  telling  them  wonderful  stories  of 
Yankee  cruelty  and  barbarity.  Many  a  boy  has  grown 
up  with  the  fixed  and  changeless  impression  that  there 
is  no  perceptible  difference  between  a  meek  and  pious 
Yankee,  a  shark,  or  a  Bengal  tiger.  Whatever 
variety  of  opinion  may  have  existed  regarding  the 
physical  condition,  shape,  size,  or  appetite  of  a  Yankee, 
there  was  one  point  on  which  all  men,  women  and 
children  agreed  with  an  unanimity  as  remarkable  as  it 
was  determined,  and  that  was,  that  the  Yankee  wag 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y*S  COMMAND.  165 

deceitful  above  all  things  and  desperately  wicked. 
Repugnance,  contempt  and  acrimonious  hatred  for  the 
despised  Yankee  were  not  solely  confined  to  the 
inferior  classes  of  Southern  society.  I  have  heard  a 
Confederate  Brigadier-General,  who  was  also  a 
graduate  of  West  Point,  declare,  in  the  presence  of  his 
staff,  and  that  a  large  one,  that  every  Yankee  prisoner 
ought  to  be  shot  or  hung;  that  they  were  entitled  to 
no  more  rights  or  immunities  than  so  many  stray 
dogs.  'Tis  true,  a  brave  young  officer  replied  instantly 
and  sharply  to  the  Brigadier  that  "  mean  as  the  public 
enemy  might  be,  no  Yankee  could  be  meaner  than  the 
officer  who  could  utter  such  cruel  and  disgusting  senti- 
ments." 

It  is  difficult  to  comprehend  ihe  ugly  feelings  of 
aversion,  antipathy  and  hatred  that  animated  the  indi- 
vidual members  of  the  opposing  armies.  The  South- 
ern people  had  educated  themselves  into  the  abnormal 
belief  that  the  Yankees  were  the  most  relentless,  cruel 
and  dishonest  animals  on  earth,  while  the  coarse, 
untutored  millions  of  the  North  were  carefully  taught 
by  their  professional  liars,  that  the  rebels  were  not  only 
barbarians  far  beyond  the  reach  of  civilization,  but 
that  they  added  the  hideous  feature  of  cannibalism  to 
their  otherwise  savage  accomplishments.  Thus  the 
hellish  fires  of  fratricidal  strife,  were  fanned  into  a 
blaze  of  fury,  by  the  tortured  imaginations  and 
excited  passions,  of  a  brainless  and  ferocious  multitude 
of  unthinking,  superstitious  and  misguided  zealots. 
This  was  the  general  state  of  preternatural  antipathy 


166  WAR  REMINISCENCES  £Y  THE 

that  existed  between  the  contending  sections  of  this 
great  country  at  the  time  of  our  visit  to  General 
Hancock.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Colonel 
Chapman  and  myself  did  not  participate  in  this  foolish 
and  ferocious  hatred,  for  the  common  enemy,  we  had 
breathed  the  hot  atmosphere  of  Dixie  too  long  to  feel 
an  entire  Christian  resignation,  to  the  irrevocable 
decrees  of  "outrageous  fortune."  We  had  never 
indulged  in  a  senseless,  savage,  spiteful,  thirst  for 
revenge,  yet  we  could  not,  with  any  healthy  regard  for 
truth,  declare  that  we  had  either  a  very  tender  regard, 
or  sincere  affection  for  the  people  that  had  so  persis- 
tently killed  our  friends,  stolen  our  property  and 
burned  our  dwellings.  I  have  always  admired  that 
beautiful  Christian  injunction  to  "love  our  enemies," 
but  have  never  yet  discovered  the  exact  method  by 
which  that  divine  doctrine,  can  be  rationally  applied  to 
Yankees,  without  committing  an  indecent  assault  on 
conscience  or  doing  violence  to  another  divine  law,  of 
a  decidedly  mandatory  kind,  that  commands  obedience 
to  the  law  of  truth.  Asa  Christian  man,  I  cannot  say 
that  I  ever  did,  or  that  I  now  do,  love  Yankees;  but  I 
do  confess  that  the  excess  of  virtue  that  made  me  a 
criminal  in  the  eyes  of  all  Yankeedom — the  principle 
of  patriotism,  that  was  so  admired  in  Washington  and 
abhorred  in  Lee — grew  beautifully  less  in  the  presence 
and  under  the  influence  of  that  courteous  gentleman 
and  distinguished  officer,  General  Hancock.  His 
manly  bearing,  kind  words,  unfeigned  regard  and 
unexpected  sympathy,  changed  at  once  whatever  feel- 


8  URGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  167 

ing  of  aversion  or  antipathy  I  then  harbored  for  him- 
self or  his  cause,  into  sentiments  of  sincere  esteem,  not 
unmixed  with  a  grateful  sense  of  just  admiration  for 
this  noble  old  soldier. 

The  General  placed  before  us  choice  wines  and 
cigars,  and  spoke  feelingly  and  fluently  of  the  promi- 
nent features  of  the  great  struggle  about  to  be  closed 
forever.  He  seemed  to  be  as  familiar  with  the  lives 
and  characters  of  the  leading  Confederate  officers,  as 
with  his  own,  and  evinced  an  intimate  knowledge  of 
all  the  leading  incidents  of  the  war.  The  conversation 
progressed  pleasantly  until  I  suggested  the  propriety 
of  dispatching  the  business  that  brought  us  to  Win- 
chester. 


168  WAJR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Q.ENERAL  HANCOCK  carefully  perused  Mosby's 
^  communication,  and  for  a  brief  period  of  time 
seemed  wrapped  in  profound  thought.  He  said  that  he 
had  been  awaiting  a  reply  from  our  commander  for 
several  days,  and  he  was  glad  to  receive  it  even  at  so  late 
an  hour.  The  response  to  his  letter  was  just  in  time  to 
save  our  people  from  great  loss  and  suffering.  He 
had  given  an  order  only  a  few  hours  previous  to  our 
arrival,  and  said  it  was  with  great  reluctance  that  IIG 
ordered  ten  thousand  men  into  the  counties  of  Lou- 
doun  and  Fauquier,  as  the  last  terrible  resort,  for 
the  purpose  of  destroying  every  house  that  continued 
to  give  shelter  to  Mosby  and  his  men.  The  General 
manifested  much  feeling  ior  the  people  whose  fidelity 
to  their  convictions  of  patriotism  demanded  this  cruel 
alternative  of  submission  or  destruction.  He  insisted 
now  that  our  cause  was  utterly  hopeless;  any  effort  to 
continue  the  war  on  the  part  of  Mosby  and  his  fol- 
lowers, was  savage  stubbornness  and  irresponsible  mad- 
ness; that  since  he  had  demanded  the  surrender  of 
our  forces,  we  had  annoyed  his  outposts  in  a  most  out- 
rageous manner;  that  we  continued  to  kill  his  pickets 
and  capture  his  quartermasters,  commissaries  and 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  169 

medical  stores  every  night.  His  patience  was  now 
completely  exhausted,  and  he  was  compelled  to  use 
the  harshest  measures  to  force  us  to  honorable  terms 
of  surrender.  Ho  assured  us  that  the  cruel  order 
would  be  immediately  countermanded,  and  that  our 
visit  had  saved  our  generous  and  faithful  friends  the 
ordeal  of  having  their  houses  and  property  destroyed. 
On  how  little  does  the  happiness  or  destruction  of  a 
noble  and  self-sacrificing  people  depend!  The  mere 
whim  or  fancy  of  a  fool,  the  passion,  eccentricity  or 
caprice  of  a  madman,  a  false  sense  of  duty  or  an  erro- 
neous sense  of  honor,  may  often  produce  the  most 
serious  consequences  for  weal  or  woe.  We  did  not 
think  that  the  decision  of  Mosby,  in  sending  us  to 
General  Hancock,  would  result  in  saving  the  houses 
of  hundreds  of  our  best  and  most  self-sacrificing  friends 
in  the  counties  of  Loudoun  and  Fauquier,  from  the 
vandal  and  cruel  torch.  Yet  such  was  the  fact  as  told  by 
General  Hancock  himself.  Our  visit,  made  only  a  few 
hours  after  his  cruel  order  was  given,  saved  a  large 
number  of  our  devoted  friends  the  dreadful  scourge  of 
military  ferocity  and  destruction  by  fire.  The  Gene- 
ral reasoned  well,  and  argued  the  point  that  "extremos 
morbus,  extrema  remedia,"  and  asked  me,  with  a  sig- 
nificant smile,  if  that  was  not  one  of  my  professional 
dogmas.  It  was  very  evident,  from  the  military  pre- 
scription, of  this  true  soldier,  that  he  considered 
Mosby's  tactics  an  extreme  disease  that  required  heroic 
remedies.  Though  General  Hancock  possessed  the 
stubborn  and  iron  nerve  of  the  true  and  trained 


170  WA  R  REMINSCENCES  B  Y  THE 

soldier,  he  also  possessed  the  acute  sensibilities  and 
refined  emotions  of  a  good  man  and  an  accomplished 
gentleman.  He  manifested  as  much  feeling  and  sym- 
pathy for  the  people  lie  had  prepared  to  punish  with 
such  extreme  severity,  as  any  one  naturally  hardened 
by  the  needless  cruelties  and  brutalties  of  military  life 
could  possibly  feel.  The  purely  military  man  is 
nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  trained  brute.  I  have 
always  entertained  the  same  regard  for  a  well-trained 
mule.  If  a  mule  obeys  the  order  of  his  driver  or 
master  he  is  looked  upon  as  a  valuable  animal,  and 
the  same  rule  holds  good  with  a  military  mule,  be  he 
general,  colonel,  major,  captain,  lieutenant  or  a  high 
private  in  the  rear  rank  of  an  army.  What  is  such  an 
animal  but  an  unthinking  mass  of  organic  matter  that 
has  some  other  animal,  and  oftener  a  brute  than  other- 
wise, to  think  for  him?  To  obey  the  rein  or  voice  of  a 
driver  is  the  highest  duty  known  to  a  well-trained 
mule.  To  obey  every  order  given  by  a  superior  officer, 
is  the  highest  duty  known  to  the  military  animal. 
Then  does  not  that  faithful  domestic  animal  (the  mule) 
deserve  just  as  much  credit  and  glory  for  his  submis- 
sion and  obedience,  as  does  his  human  military  co-la- 
borer, in  the  campaign,  or  field  of  battle?  The  simple 
performance  of  a  brainless  duty  characterizes  both 
these  noble  and  patient  creatures.  I  know  the  world 
claims  much  more  glory  for  the  patient  biped,  than 
the  stubborn  quadruped ;  for  the  stolid,  stupid  soldier, 
than  for  his  more  useful  cousin — the  mule.  But  is  it 
right,  just  or  equitable?  Can  intelligence  furnish  the 


SUMGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  171 

degrees,  or  grade  of  true  glory  that  mark  the  disparity 
that  divides  the  faithful  quadruped,  from  the  prouder 
an  J.  mdre  faithless  biped?  So  far  as  the  disposition  to 
do  right  or  wrong  indiscriminately  is  concerned,  the 
military  man  is  far  superior  to  the  mule.  But  for 
constancy,  patience  and  endurance,  under  long  suffer- 
ing the  mule  ranks  first.  When  a  free  citizen  sud- 
denly becomes  transformed  into  a  well-disciplined  sol- 
dier, he  is  metamorphized  into  a  human  mule.  He  is 
not  expected  to  have  an  opinion,  has  nothing  to  say  on 
any  subject;  the  man  is  as  much  of  an  automaton  as 
the  mule.  Why  the  simple  machine  with  two  feet 
should  be  entitled  to  more  fame  or  glory,  than  the  more 
useful,  faithful  and  constant  machine  with  four  feet, 
no  writer,  or  philosopher  has  yet  explained.  The 
world  has  produced  very  few  soldiers  with  high  claims 
to  the  sort  of  admiration  that  is  directed  by  an  enlight- 
ened conscience.  The  good  citizen  that  becomes  a 
soldier  through  the  pure  motives  of  patriotism  when 
his  country  is  in  danger,  when  he  offers  his  life,  his 
fortune  and  his  honor  for  the  cause  he  holds  most 
dear,  deserves  a  better  fate  than  his  fellow  mer- 
cenary, who  fights  only  for  his  wages,  and  cares  nothing 
for  his  cause.  The  mere  professional  soldier  who  fights 
against  his  convictions  or  his  country,  seems  only  an 
automaton,  without  brain,  conscience  or  soul,  and  is 
lower  than  the  honest  and  patient  mule,  who  works 
only  for  his  food.  Indeed,  the  mule  is  not  compli- 
mented by  the  comparison.  It  is  alone  the  cause,  for 
which  he  fights  that  gives  true  fame  to  the  soldier; 


172  WAR  REMINISCENCES  £  Y  THE 

that  makes  him  a  martyr  when  he  falls  and  a  hero 
when  he  survives.  The  creature  in  uniform  that  fights 
for  or  against  liberty,  as  his  master  commands,  sinks 
lower  than  the  level  of  the  brute. 

God  has  placed  the  human  animal  a  little  higher 
in  the  scale  of  creation,  and  when  he  falls,  he  passes 
lower  than  his  fellow-brute,  because  he  gained  in  the 
impulse  of  his  descent,  a  power  in  his  fall,  while  his 
follow-beast  holds  with  ssrene  instinct  the  place  his: 
Creator  assigned  him. 

When  the  true  soldier  is  illumined  by  the  higher 
virtues  of  chivalry,  patriotism,  humanity  and  charity, 
that  marks  the  character  of  a  Washington,  a  Lee,  and  a 
Jackson,  or  a  Hancock  and  a  McClellan,  we  look  upon 
their  unspotted  names  as  bright  green  spots 'in  the 
boundless  desert  of  war,  that  extends  all  the  way  from 
the  siege  of  Troy  to  the  capitulation  at  Appornattox. 
There  is  a  constant  propensity  in  man  to  worship  some- 
thing. The  ancient  mythologists  had  their  passionate 
gods — Bacchus,  Jupiter,  Mars,  and  many  other  unmiti- 
gated old  ruffians,  of  that  classic  age.  The  modern 
heathen  enjoys  with  exquisite  emotion,  the  worship  of 
his  uncouth,  mug-headed  and  bow-legged  monstrous 
idols.  The  devil-worshipers  of  India  perform  their 
hideous  rites  around  a  sort  of  diabolical  altar  erected 
in  honor  of  the  devil  himself,  and  in  soft  and  rnelllfiu- 
cent  accents  address  the  old  "He  Fiend"  as  the  "Injured 
One."  The  good  and  true  men  of  all  countries  wor- 
ship the  ever  living  God,  and  admire  only  the  noble1 
specimens  of  their  own  race  who  elevate  themselves 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y>S  COMMAND.  173 

above  the  base  and  degrading  passions,  appetites  and 
sensualism,  which  man  shares  in  common  with  the  brute 
creation.  The  character  of  the  worshiper  is  estimated 
by  the  purity  of  the  being  worshiped.  The  worshiper 
of  Bacchus,  is  presumed  to  be  a  drunken  sot.  The 
worshiper  of  Mars  is  reasonably  presumed  a  bull- 
headed  ruffian,  with  as  much  soul  or  sentiment  as  wo 
would  expect  to  be  manifested  by  a  brace  of  Kilkenny 
cats.  The  degree  of  admiration  displayed  by  some 
men  for  others  also  expresses  a  kindred  feeling  between 
the  admirer  and  the  admired.  Men  that  admire  the 
name,  fame  and  character  of  John  Brown,  of  Potowat- 
omie,  are  surely  not  superior  in  intellect,  wisdom,  virtue 
or  character,  to  the  admirers  of  George  Washington.  A 
calm  review  of  ancient  or  modern  history  will  clearly 
establish  the  fact  that  the  bubble,  reputation  or  fame 
is  not  worth  seeking  at  the  cannon's  mouth.  As  only 
good  mon  are  admired  by  good  men,  and  bad  men 
worshiped  by  bad  men,  it  inevitably  follows  that  bad 
men  are  in  the  majority  throughout  the  world ;  hence 
a  distinguished  bad  man  is  much  more  popular  than 
a  distinguished  good  man. 

Benjamin  Franklin  Butler  and  old  John  Brown,  will 
be  remembered  and  admired  by  a  much  larger  num- 
ber 01  people  (of  a  peculiar  kind)  than  will  such  Vir- 
ginia rebels  as  Washington,  Jefferson,  Jackson,  and 
Lee.  General  Hancock  was  both  gentleman  and 
soldier.  Any  man  can  admire  him  without  compro- 
mising his  own  intelligence  or  degrading  his  moral  per- 
ceptions. Colonel  Chapman  and  myself  were  entirely 


174  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

at  his  mercy  and  subject  to  any  caprice  or  whimsicality 
a  weaker  officer's  fancy  would  suggest  or  exercise  with 
irresponsible  impunity;  yet  he  treated  us  as  gentlemen 
and  as  officers,  and  as  if  we  were  entitled  to  equal  con- 
sideration with  himself.  He  said,  with  much  affability 
and  kindness,  that  he  would  be  very  glad  to  receive 
Colonel  Mosby  and  his  entire  command  as  prisoners 
of  war,  and  assured  us  that  we  should  be  treated  with 
all  the  civility  and  respect  that  gallant  officers  and 
brave  men  were  entitled  to,  and  that  we  would  all  be 
paroled  and  permitted  to  return  to  our  respective 
homes.  We  received  the  following  communication 
for  Colonel  Mosby: 

"HEADQUARTERS  MIDDLE  MILITARY  DIVISION, 

"  WINCHESTER,  VA.,  April  16,  1865. 
"  To  Colonel  John  S.  Mosby,  C.  S.  A.: 

"Colonel — Major-General  Hancock  directs  me  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  communication  by 
the  hand  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chapman,  of  the  15th 
instant,  in  reply  to  mine  of  the  llth.  The  General 
docs  not  think  it  necessary  to  designate  an  officer  to 
meet  you  to  arrange  an  armistice,  as  you  suggest. 

"  Understanding,  however,  your  motives  in  hesitating 
to  surrender  your  command  without  definite  intelli- 
gence from  your  former  superiors,  the  General  is  very 
willing  to  allow  a  reasonable  time  for  you  to  acquire 
the  information  you  desire.  It  is  not  practicable  for 
you  to  communicate  with  General  Lee,  as  he  is  no 
longer  in  authority.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Chapman, 
the  bearer  of  your  communication,  has  been  furnished 


SURGEON  OF  MO&BY'S  COMMAND.  175 

with  such  evidence  as  will  undoubtedly  satisfy  you 
that  further  resistance  on  the  part  of  your  command 
can  result  in  no  good  to  the  cause  in  which  you  have 
been  engaged. 

"In  view  of  these  facts,  the  General  will  not  operate 
against  your  command  until  Tuesday  next  at  12  M.. 
provided  there  are  no  hostilities  from  your  command. 
This  agreement  to  be  understood  to  include  the  Depart- 
ment of  Washington  and  the  Potomac  river  line.  It 
is  possible  some  difficulty  may  arise  from  the  operation 
of  guerrilla  parties  not  of  your  command,  but  the 
General  hopes  you  can  control  the  whole  matter.  On 
Tuesday  at  noon  the  General  will  send  an  officer  of 
equal  rank  with  yourself  to  Millwood  to  meet  you  and 
ascertain  your  determination,  and  if  you  conclude  to 
surrender  your  command,  to  arrange  the  details.  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Chapman  will  be  able  to  give  all  the 
information  you  desire  as  to  the  probable  terms. 

"If  you  consent  to  the  above  arrangements,  please 
notify  Brigadier-General  Chapman,  at  Berryville,  as 
soon  as  practicable. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"C.  H.  MORGAN, 
"Brevet  Brig-Gen,  and  Chief  of  Staff." 


176  WAR  &JBMtNJSC&NC£&  3  Y  TUB 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


71  FTER  a  prolonged  and  decidedly  pleasant  inter- 
(|s)  view  with  this  polite,  courteous  and  accomplished 
officer,  I  arose  to  thank  him  for  his  magnanimous 
kindness  and  rare  generosity  before  taking  our  final 
departure.  He  politely  asked  us  to  dine  with  him, 
and  at  the  same  time  informed  us  that  General  Torbetl. 
had  sent  a  special  invitation  to  take  dinner  at  his  quar- 
ters. With  a  pleasant  gesture  and  a  significant  expres- 
sion of  his  handsome  features,  this  fine  looking  old 
Federal  chief  said:  "Gentleman,  as  you  have  been  on 
much  more  intimate  terms  with  General  Torbett  than 
myself,  and  as  you  have  given  him  recently  such  good 
evidences  of  your  regard,  and  always  received-his  visits 
with  such  warm  if  not  affectionate  cordiality,  it  may 
ba  more  pleasant  during  your  short  stay  with  us  to 
accept  his. invitation.  Though  General  Torbett  claims 
the  right  to  entertain  you,  I  will  be  very  much  pleased 
if  you  will  do  me  the  honor  of  accepting  a  soldier's 
hospitality  and  break  bread  with  me  to-day."  This  was 
said  in  such  a  kind  manner,  and  with  such  pleasing 
grace,  that  the  most  callous  and  obtuse  rebel,  would 
have  been  softened  by  the  smooth  an-1  touching  senti- 
ments so  appropriately  expressed, 


SUltGEON  OP  MOSB  F'S  COMMAND.  177 

For  two  poor,  forlorn,  helpless,  conquered  rebel  sol- 
diers, who  presented  themselves  at  the  throne  of 
Federal  power,  as  humble  petitioners  for  mercy  and 
justice  to  our  outlawed  chief,  to  be  treated  as  distin- 
guished visitors  by  the  august  representative  of  abso- 
lute power,  was  a  shock  to  our  previous  calculations 
that  threatened  to  take  the  atmosphere  out  of  any- 
body's lungs.  This  great  and  unexpected  condescen- 
sion of  potent  military  authority,  almost  overpowered 
us.  To  think  of  two  hungry  and  friendless  suppli- 
cants in  gray  uniforms  being  asked  to  confer  an  honor 
on  a  great,  big,  powerful  Major-General  of  the  victori- 
ous Federal  army  by  taking  dinner  with  him,  was 
more  than  the  best  trained  nervous  system  could  bear. 
If  we  co.uld  have  been  educated  slowly  and  .gradually 
to  accommodate  ourselves  to  this  change  of  feeling  W3 
would  have  exhibited  less  awkwardness  under  the 
shock  we  received,  if  the  startling  compliment  had 
been  administered  in  broken  doses.  But  taken  all  at 
once,  it  made  us  feel  something  like  the  poor  relations 
in  the  Pickwick  papers — "  all  smiles  and  shirt  collars/ 
My  comrade,  Colonel  Chapman,  was  not  a  talking 
man,  and  General  Hancock's  extraordinary  and  almost 
oppressive  kindness  left  me  bewildered  and  confused. 
I  endeavored  to  say  something  pretty,  but  stammered 
something  probably  the  reverse.  Kind  treatment  was 
what  Confederate  soldiers  knew  nothing  about. 
We  had  never  received  any  of  it  from  our  own  officers 
or  government,  and  had  no  reason  to  expect  it  from 
our  old  enemies.  At  the  death  of  poor  old  Peg  Slider- 


178  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

screw,  the  housekeeper  of  Arthur  Gride,  the  miser, 
many  suggestions  were  made  by  the  people  as  to  the 
cause  of  the  old  woman's  sudden  taking  off,  when  a 
youth,  who  Knew  something  of  the  true  inwardness  of 
old  Gride's  household  habits,  said  that  "  it  was  proba- 
ble that  the  old  woman  had  seen  something  good  to 
eat,  and  the  surprise  killed  her."  Good  treatment  to  a 
Confederate  soldier  would  do  as  much  violence  to  the 
law  of  chronic  habit  as  the  appearance  of  dainty  food 
was  suspected  to  have  inflicted  upon  the  lean,  hungry 
housekeeper  of  the  inveterate  miser,  Arthur  Gride.  I 
tried  to  be  as  thankful  and  polite  as  I  could.  I  talked 
a  good  deal.  My  quiet  friend  Chapman  afterwards 
told  me  that  I  talked  too  much.  I  remember  the  feel- 
ing of  gratitude  that  prompted  me  0:1  that  occasion 
much  better  that  I  can  remember  the  words  by  which 
I  endeavored  to  express  it.  It  occurs  to  me  that  I 
looked  the  old  General  squarely  in  the  face  while  he 
held  my  hand,  and  told  him  that  if  ever  fate  decreed 
that  I  should  live  to  get  the  better  of  him  as  much  as 
he  seemed  to  have  the  advantage  of  me,  I  should  do 
my  best  to  return  all  his  distinguished  favors  with 
compound  interest — that  is,  if  the  laws  and  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  new  government,  known  as  the  United 
States  at  that  time,  should  be  so  kind  as  to  permit 
favors,  or  any  other  currency  to  bear  compound  interest 
or  any  other  kind  of  interest — that  if  I  was  unfortunate 
enough  to  live  several  hundred  years  more  than 
Methuselah  ever  did,  I  should  not  then  outlive  the  pro- 
found gratitude  I  felt  for  his  exceptional  kindness  and 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y>8  COMMAND.  179 

unmerited  generosity;  that  should  fortune  ever  turn 
his  footsteps  in  the  future  towards  the  good  old  county 
of  Albemarle,  where  I  had  a  home  when  I  last  heard 
from  it,  I  would  assuredly  kill  the  fatted  calf;  and  if 
the  calf  was  not  fat  enough,  or  if  General  Sheridan 
had  not  already  killed  it,  he  should  have  the  first 
choice  of  all  the  pigs,  chickens,  ducks,  or  any  other 
thing  that  was  good  to  eat  or  drink,  that  was  yet  left 
in  that  hospitable  old  county,  provided  that  infamous 
marauder,  General  Sheridan,  with  his  hungry  swarm 
of  human  caterpillars,  known  as  Sheridan'^  mounted 
infantry,  had  left  enough  in  his  wake  to  feod  so  distin- 
guished a  Federal  general  as  himself  upon ;  that  pro- 
vided General  Sheridan  had  left  anything  in  my  old 
county,  I  would  see  to  it  that  General  Hancock  should 
have  it.  Feeling  a  full  and  clear  certainty  that  my 
intentions  were  first-class,  I  was  not  very  cautious 
in  the  words  i  used  on  this  occasion.  I  have,  ever 
since  that  eventful  epoch,  believed  that  my  earnest 
effort  to  please  only  succeeded  in  sadly  boring  my  dis- 
tinguished host.  The  General  had  implied  a  hand- 
some compliment  to  our  command  in  his  reference  to 
the  several  warm  receptions  we  had  given  his  friend, 
General  Torbett,  as  we  had  recently  repulsed  him  in  a 
lively  and  splendid  engagement  at  Warrenton.  He 
had  also  complimented  our  courage,  skill  and  bearing 
as  gallant  soldiers,  and  eulogized  Mosby's  extraordi- 
nary ganius  and  unprecedented  daring.  All  these 
things  were  exceedingly  flattering  to  our  vanity.  All 
men  have  vanity,  even  a  vanquished  soldier,  and  hu- 


180  WAR  JIEMINISCENCES  13 Y  THE 

man  vanity  always  enjoys  a  good  appetite  and  can 
digest  an  enormous  amount  of  the  crudest  and  toughest 
flattery.  Though  conquered  we  were  like  other  men — 
vain  even  of  our  defects  and  proud  even  of  our  follies. 
But,  with  all  our  human  follies,  when  General  Hancock 
told  us  he  would  be  proud  of  the  honor  two  friendless, 
helpless  and  lonely  rebel  officers  would  confer  by 
dining  with  him,  it  was  rather  more  than  the  very 
voracious  appetite  of  human  vanity  could  well  receive 
or  comfortably  digest. 

Colonel  Chapman  wore  one  more  star  on  his  collar 
than  I  wore  on  mine,  and  I  left  it  to  him  to  decide 
whether  we  should  honor  General  Hancock  or  General 
Torbett  with  our  distinguished  presence  at  dinner. 
The  Colonel  being  somewhat  slow,  I  put  the  question, 
"All  who  are  in  favor  of  dining  with  General  Torbett 
will  say  aye;  those  to  the  contrary  say  no."  The  Col- 
onel not  being  contrary  said  nothing.  I  voted  in  the 
affirmative,  and  as  the  Colonel  did  not  vote  on  either 
side  I  decided  that  the  meeting  had  voted  unanimously 
for  dining  with  General  Torbett.  The  noble  old  Gen- 
eral smiled  at  this  method  of  taking  the  sense  of  our 
delegation  on  the  interesting  question  of  dinner.  With 
an  air  of  condescending  though  majestic  dignity  he 
walked  with  us  to  the  door.  The  street  in  front  of  the 
house  was  densely  packed  with  Federal  soldiers  in 
blue.  General  Hancock  said,  with  a  smile:  "It  is 
rumored  that  Colonel  Mosby  is  here;  observe  the  curi- 
osity of  the  army  to  see  your  leader.  Gentlemen,  it  is 


SURGEON  OF  MOSEY* S  COMMAND.  181 

impossible  for  you  to  go  out  by  the  front  gate."  Then 
turning  to  Colonel  Russel  he  asked  him  to  conduct  us 
out  by  the  back  way  and  escort  us  to  General  Torbett's 
quarters.  Colonel  Russel  kindly  guided  us  through 
the  rear  way  into  an  alley  that  led  into  a  cross  street. 
No  sooner  did  the  Federal  soldiers  observe  our  move- 
ments than  they  made  a  great  rush  into  the. cross- 
street  in  a  desperate  effort  to  see  the  famous  fierce 
fighter,  Colonel  Mosby.  We  worked  our  way  as  best 
we  could  through  the  dense  mass  of  uniformed  human- 
ity that  surged  and  rolled  around  us  as  blue  and  rest- 
less as  the  sea.  In  answer  to  the  many  questions  as 
to  "Which  is  Mosby?"  I  would  point  to  Colonel  Chap- 
man and  the  Colonel  would  point  them  to  me.  Many 
were  the  comments  made,  and  some  not  of  a  decidedly 
complimentary  character,  as  to  our  appearance.  Some 
of  the  men  expressed  great  surprise  that  "sich  an 
'unery'  man  should  have  made  sich  a  fuss  in  the  worl'." 
Others  said  they  thought  "he  must  hav'  bin  an  ugly 
cuss  frum  the  way  he  behaved  heself,  but  he  wuz  re'ly 
wus  lookin'  than  we  had  spozen  he  \vuz."  "Lor! 
what  a  hard-lookin'  feller!  No  wonder  he  fout  so, 
frum  his  looks.  He  looks  like  a  foutin'  man,  he  do." 
"I  ain't  never  see  no  wus  lookin'  man,  I  ain't;  he  looks 
like  he  wuz  bought  outen  a  drove  of  wild  wen,  he  do.  He 
don't  look  like  he  tame  yet,  he  don't."  "  He  dang'rous 
feller  to  turn  lose  now,  you  bet."  "  He  don't  look  like 
a  bad  man,  he  ugly  though."  "  I  woulden  like  to  trus' 
him  now,  if  he  has  gin  it  up,  I  woulden."  "No  won- 
der we  couldea  ketch  him  beio  ;  he  look  like  a  fox,  he 


182  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

do."  "Thank  God  lie  done  gin  it  up,  I  say."  "I 
didn't  think  he  looked  like  that,  I  didn't."  Such  were 
the  running  commentaries  passed  upon  us  as  we  moved 
through  the  dense  mass  of  Yankee  soldiers  from  Gen- 
eral Hancock's  to  General  Torbett's  headquarters.  As 
the  various  reflections  fell  equally  upon,  myself  and 
my  comrade,  Colonel  Chapman,  we  divided  the  douht- 
ful  compliments  between  U3  the  host  we  could,  and  felt 
any  other  sentiment  than  vanity  as  we  received  this 
running  firo  of  criticism  from  the  rank  and  file  of  blue 
uniforms  bsfore  us.  Colonel  Chapman  insisted  that  I 
was  the  man  mistaken  for  Mosby,  and  I  with  equal 
contumacy  insisted  that,  as  the  Colonel  was  equally  as 
ordinary  looking  an  individual  as  myself,  and  at  least 
an  inch  or  two  more  conspicuous,  the  doubtful  compli- 
ments must  "have  been  intended  for  him. 

Without  any  further  difficulty  than  the  wild  crea- 
tions of  Yankee  fancy  that  greeted  us  on  our  way,  wo 
arrived  at  General  Torbett's  quarters.  \Ve  found  trje 
General  reclining  on  a  couch.  He  informed  us  that 
he  had  been  seriously  indisposed  for  several  days,  but 
was  glad  to  receive  us  as  his  guests.  He  spoke  plea- 
santly of  the  interesting  encounters  he  had  had  with 
us  on  previous  occasions,  and  mentioned  the  affair  at 
Warrenton  as  one  of  peculiar  interest,  particularly  to 
his  medical  director.  He  introducod  mo  to  that  officer, 
and  informed  me  that  his  doctor  had  lost  two  very  val- 
uable horses  on  that  occasion  and  would  like  to  know 
something  about  them.  The  medical  director  seemed 
so  deeply  interested  in  the  fate  of  his  favorite  quad- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  183 

rupeds  that  he  gave  me  a  graphic  description  of  the 
animals  in  question,  and  anxiously  asked  if  I  thought 
there  was  any  prospect  of  his  ultimately  recovering 
them.  From  his  minute  description  I  recognized  the 
fact  that  our  gallant  Captain  Glasscock  was  the  officer 
who  had  captured  the  Doctor's  horses.  I  told  him  it 
was  very  probable  he  would  finally  recover  his  pro- 
perty. He  said  they  were  great  pets,  or  favorites,  and 
he  was  willing  to  pay  full  price  for  them.  I  had 
formed  an  opinion  that  as  we  were  conquered  we  had 
no  right  to  anything.  We  had  unfortunately  lost  our 
liberty  and  could  not  conceive  how  we  could  main- 
tain any  legal  right  to  property.  I  therefore  assured 
him  that  Captain  Glasscock  would  doubtless  take  great 
pleasure  in  restoring  the  horses  to  their  legal  owner, 
without  money  and  without  price.  I  very  much  regret 
that  I  have  forgotten  the  name  of  this  medical  director. 
I  remember  his  appearance  well.  He  was  a  small  man 
willi  small  eyes  and  small  side  whiskers,  of  small 
stature  and  still  smaller  ideas.  His  whole  soul  seemed 
to  be  totally  absorbed  with  the  hope  of  recovering  his 
lost  property.  Every  other  officer  at  General  Torbett's 
headquarters  was  thinking  of  the  great  events  of  the 
closing  struggle  that  had  shaken  a  continent  and 
bathed  a  nation  in  the  best  blood  that  ever  flowed  from 
patriots'  veins.  But  this  remarkable  military  M.  D. 
seemed  wholly  absorbed  with  his  horses. 

It  occurred  to  me  that  unfortunate  indeed  must  be 
the  brave  soldiers  whose  welfare  in  sickness  and  wounds 
would  depend  upon  such  an  officer.  A  commissioned 


184  WAX  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

officer  who  could  think  only  of  his  private  property  in 
the  throes  and  agony  of  a  great  nation,  in  the  storm 
and  convulsion  of  the  hideous  civil  war  that  shed  its 
horrid  glare  around  us,  must  surely  be  unfit  for  the 
high  and  responsiblo  duties  of  his  almost  sacred  office- 
What  a  great  curse  it  is — incalculable  in  its  cruel  dam- 
age to  humanity — for  the  medical  department  of  an 
army  to  be  incompetent  and  indifferent  to  the  dis- 
charge of  important  functions,  stupid,  unjust,  or 
depraved  !  Whenever  or  wherever  I  discovered  incom- 
petency,  folly,  and  cruel  injustice,  I  always  thought  of 
the  thoroughly  organized  hell  of  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Confederate  States  ami}',  with  its  imple- 
ments of  torture  in  the  irresponsible  hands  of  ignorant 
and  cruel  impostors.  The  medical  department  of  our 
army,  with  its  Gorgon  head,  was  well  described  in 
"The  Devil's  Drive"  by  the  great  lord  of  British 
poetry: 

"  What  shall  I  rido  iu,  quoth  Lucil'or  then, 

If  I  follow  my  taste,  indeed? 
I  will  ride  in  a  wagon  of  wounded  men, 
And  smile  to  see  them  bleed." 

The  horribly  shocking  picture  in  Lalla  Rookh, 
drawn  by  Tom  Moore,  when  Mokana  lifts  his  veil 
upon  the  ghastly  scene  of  his  poisoned  victims,  and 
discloses  for  the  first  time  to  mortal  vision  features  too 
hideous  to  describe,  and  plainly  tells  them : 

"  Now  see  if  hell  with  all  its  powers  to  damn, 
Can  add  one  curse  to  the  foul  thing  I  am  " — 

is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  picture  of  thousands 
of  mangled  human  bodies — the  sick  and  wounded 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S'  COMMAND.  185 

myriads  of  Confederate  soldiers — looking  intolerable 
anguish  and  despair  into  the  face  of  the  stolid  repre- 
sentative of  Confederate  surgery.  The  veiled  prophet 
of  Korassan  was  more  merciful  to  his  deluded  follow- 
ers than  was  the  Confederate  medical  department  to 
its  unhappy  victims.  "The  Moon  Maker"  poisoned 
and  killed  without  torture;  but  it  was  left  for  the  pro- 
phet of  the  nineteenth  century  to  transport  thousands 
of  living,  mangled  soldiers  hundreds  of  miles  for  no 
other  purpose  than  cruelty,  torture  and  death. 


186  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 


CHAPTER    XX. 


found  General  Torbett  a  very  pleasant  fellow. 
He  was  excessive  in  his  politeness,  though  his 
excellent  address  did  not  entirely  conceal  a  vein  of 
inordinate  vanity  that  cropped  out  from  his  every  word 
and  gesture.  My  preconceived  ideas  regarding  the 
good  looks  and  behavior  of  Yankee  officers  prepared 
me  to  expect  a  very  different  impression  and  reception 
from  these  antipathetic  gentlemen.  General  Torbett 
was  of  medium  stature,  more  gaunt  than  robust,  of 
erect  figure,  a  large  jaw  and  expressive  features.  The 
prominent  facial  muscles,  compressed  lips,  high  curved 
nose  and  steady  eye,  betokened  strong  will,  deter- 
mined purpose  and  intellectual  power.  This  was  the 
officer  that  commanded  the  Federal  cavalry  against  us 
at  Warrenton  a  short  time  previous  to  this  interview. 
He  made  some  very  pleasant  observations  regarding 
that  engagement,  and  seemed  to  think  as  General 
Reno  did  of  the  affair  at  Harmony — that  our  forces 
were  much  larger  than  we  acknowledged  them  to  be. 
I  soon  discovered  that  these  Yankee  officers  believed 
Mosby's  command  to  be  about  as  numerous  as  the 
Persian  army  under  Xerxes.  Falstaft's  foes  in  buck- 
ram did  not  increase  in  numbers  with  half  the  rapidity 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  187 

of  Mosby's  men  when  multiplied  by  the  abnormal 
imagination  of  Yankee  generals.  No  doubt,  when 
partisan  pistols  prattled  so  lively  in  the  streets  of  "War- 
renton,  and  Torbett's  braves  "skedaddled"  in  a  man- 
ner that  caused  any  other  system  of  rapid  transit  to 
fade  into  insignificance,  those  nimble  warriors  con- 
ceived that  rebel  partisans  were  as  countless  as  twink- 
ling stars  in  the  firmament. 

The  General  informed  us  that  we  were  just  in  time 
for  dinner.  lie  expressed  much  regret  that  he  had  no 
opportunity  of  preparing  a  suitable  banquet  for  his 
distinguished  visitors,  but  desired  that  we  accept  his 
good  intentions  under  the  circumstances  for  a  more 
elaborate  and  ceremonious  reception,  but  yet  hoped 
that  the  best  efforts  of  his  commissariat  would  at  least 
satisfy  the  natural  requirements  of  a  reasonable  appe- 
tite, and  insisted  with  marked  politeness,  that  we  make 
ourselves  at  home  and  partake  with  cheerful  freedom 
of  a  soldier's  hospitality.  One  glance  at  a  table  well 
covered  with  every  luxury  that  a  tropical  or  temperate 
climate  could  produce  convinced  me  at  once  that  all 
the  polite  though  superfluous  verbosity  of  the  General 
was  only  a  peculiarity  of  his  modest  method  of  boast- 
ing in  regard  to  his  lavish  and  profuse  alimentary  dis- 
play. He  apologized  to  us  for  the  meagre  repast,  but 
said  it  was  the  best  he  could  do  on  so  short  a  notice, 
and  added  that  soldiers  were  from  the  very  nature  of 
their  calling  subject  to  occasional  privations.  I  did 
not  desire  to  appear  surprised  or  overcome  at  the 
extravagant  profusion  of  boned  turkey,  chicken  salad, 


188  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

savory  lamb,  veal,  fish,  flesh  and  fowl,  surrounded 
with  tropical  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  costly  wines. 
I  did  not  feel  like  "a,  poor  boy  at  a  frolic,"  nor  did  I 
Avish  to  appear  like  that  melancholy  and  despondent 
young  animal;  but  feeling  to  the  contrary  I  waited 
for  Colonel  Chapman  to  reply  to  the  feigned  and 
labored  apologies  of  our  august  host.  The  Colonel, 
with  his  usual  marked  economy  of  language,  remained 
silent.  Finding  it  absolutely  necessary  and  proper  to 
say  something,  I  deliberately  gathered  all  the  dignity 
the  situation  and  its  outre  surroundings  admitted  of  and 
tried  to  look  as  much  like  a  Federal  cavalry  general  as 
possible.  Feeling  quite  assured  that  everybody  present 
expected  me  to  say  something  in  response  to  General 
Torbett's  studied  misrepresentation  of  an  excellent  din- 
ner, I  straightway  told  him  that  we  had  for  several  years 
been  occasionally  subjected  to  hardships  and  tempo- 
rary privations  of  different  kinds;  that  I  had  once 
read  of  a  noted  Continental  officer  of  the  old  Revolu- 
tionary war  inviting  a-  British  general  to  dine  with 
him,  when  much  to  the.  surprise  of  his  distinguished 
guest,  he  presented  him  with  a  roasted  potato  on  a 
platter  of  pine  bark.  I  informed  him  that  we  had, 
during  our  many  campaigns  just  closed,  on  several 
occasions  been  forced  by  unavoidable  circumstances  to 
put  up  with  almost  as  indifferent  and  meagre  a  din- 
ner us  his  many  misfortunes  had  now  caused  him  to 
offer  us,  but  I  hoped  he  would  not  permit  a  nervous  or 
supersensitivc  conscience  to  further  disturb  him  on  the 
score  of  his  extreme  poverty  or  inability  to  provide 


S  URGLON  OF  MOSB  lr>A'  COMMAND.  189 

more  suitable  or  savory  viands  for  his  guests,  but 
desired  him  to  feel  assured  that  we  were  to  a  certain 
though  limited  extent  children  of  sorrow  and  slightly 
acquainted  with  grief  ourselves;  and  furthermore,  our 
mothers  and  Lord  Chesterfield  had  taught  us  manners 
sufficiently  civilized  not  to  complain  aloud  about  any 
mere  temporary  hardship;  we  had  fully  made  up  our 
minds  to  bear  up  under  all  such  afflictions  as  best  we 
could;  and  also,  that  it  gave  us  unfeigned  trouble  to 
observe  his  pain  because  of  his  inability  to  provide 
better  for  us.  I  made  it  as  plain  as  possible  to  him 
that  we  had  traveled  far  and  could  truthfully  claim  a 
very  good  appetite,  and  although  his  table  was  not 
an  fait,  and  did  not  present  as  good  articles  of  diet  as 
we  had  been  accustomed  to  in  the  commissariat  of  the 
Confederate  States  army,  we  were  prepared  to  submit 
to  the  awkward  infliction  of  a  poor  dinner  with  firm 
resolve  and  Christian  resignation.  I  consoled  him 
with  the  truthful  observation  that  we  were  prepared  to 
enjoy  this  interview  with  him  even  without  dinner 
more  than  we  did  the  last  time  we  met;  that  I  much 
preferred  meeting  himself  and  friends  in  a  spirit  of 
fraternal  regard,  as  at  present,  even  on  an  empty 
stomach,  than  as  we  had  last  met  after  a  full  and  hearty 
meal  of  Nassau  pork  and  bean-meal  bread.  I  hoped  he 
would  not  distress  himself  further  on  our  account 
because  of  his  scanty  repast.  He  could,  of  course, 
imagine  that  the  variety  of  his  meats,  vegetables,  fruits 
and  wines  differed  somewhat  from  our  accustomed  fare 
within  the  Confederate  lines  during  the  maintenance 


190  WAR  REMINSCENCXS  £  Y  THE 

of  his  blockaae;  that  we  could  not  well  avail  ourselves 
of  the  luxuries  of  foreign  markets,  and  also,  the  culi- 
nary art  by  which  we  prepared  our  delightful  Nassau 
pork  and  compounded  our  monkey-pudding  differed 
somewhat  from  his  more  stylish  yet  less  palatable 
modes. 

The  General  seemed  as  much  astonished  as  amused 
at  the  cool  effrontery  and  deliberate  manner  in  which 
I  agreed  with  him  in  depreciating  his  extravagant  and 
lavish  display  of  dainty  viands.  When  I  explained  to 
him  the  modus  operandi  of  constructing  Confederate 
monkey-pudding,  composed  of  hard-tack,  sorgum  and 
gravy  from  the  everlasting  Nassau  hog,  compounded 
in  a  camp-kettle,  he  laughed  aloud,  and  said  if  we 
enjoyed  the  monkey-pudding  as  much  as  he  relished 
my  description  of  it,  it  must  have  been  very  excellent 
food  indeed.  After  making  every  reasonable  effort  I 
could  to  cause  the  General  to  feel  comfortable  and  at 
homo  in  his  own  quarters,  I  observed  he  still  mani- 
fested some  awkwardness  in  the  presence  of  such  rough 
rebels.  We  had  partaken  of  several  glasses  of  strong 
Ohio  whiskey  at  General  Reno's  tent  and  repeated  the 
same  potent  prescription  at  General  Hancock's.  Of 
course  we  had  not  refused  to  be  equally  as  sociable  with 
General  Torbett.  The  exciting  scenes  and  inspirations 
of  our  mission,  added  to  the  potency  of  Ohio  corn- 
juice  of  the  best  quality,  prompted  me  to  use  many 
words  where  probably  only  a  few  would  have  sufficed. 
I  told  General  Torbett  not  to  look  so  sad  on  account  of 
his  indifferent  dinner;  he  had  cause  to  rejoice  at  the 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y>S  COMMAND.  101 

termination  of  the  war.  He  was  a  victorious  General 
and  we  poor  conquered  rebels;  that  he  ought  to  feel 
glad  even  if  everything  on  his  table  was  sour  except 
the  pickles  and  vinegar;  that  much  better  men  than 
himself  had  often  eaten  worse  dinners.  According  to 
my  view  of  the  situation,  a  great  general  ought  not  to 
sjt  his  whole  heart  on  the  mere  animal  or  sensual 
pleasures  of  appetite,  more  particularly  at  such  a  time 
when  his  military  aspirations  and  martial  pride  had 
bocn  so  signally  gratified  and  his  ambition  as  a 
soldier  crowned  with  glorious  victory;  that  he  might 
excuse  the  expressed  freedom  of  my  opinions  and 
sentiment  if  he  thought  proper,  and  if  not,  I  was  as 
indifferent  as  Mr.  Toots  himself:  it  was  "a  matter  of 
no  consequence;"  and  that  if  I  had  said  anything  I 
was  very  sorry  for  I  was  exceedingly  glad  of  it. 

My  laconic  friend  and  comrade,  Chapman,  after- 
wards informed  me  in  his  usual  quiet  way  that  my 
conduct,  conversation  and  general  behavior  on  this 
occasion  was  a  most  sublime  exhibition  of  human 
impudence.  I  noticed  the  General  was  not  as  talka- 
tive after  my  assault  on  his  unprotected  vanity.  He 
continued  to  look  as  pleasant  as  any  man  in  a  blue 
military  uniform  could  look,  but  complained  of  physical 
indisposition,  and  requested  his  adjutant-general  and 
medical  director  to  entertain  us  at  the  table.  I  have 
forgotten  the  name  of  the  adjutant,  though  I  remember 
he  was  a  very  polite  and  agreeable  gentleman.  I  was 
seated  by  the  side  of  the  medical  director,  and  would 
have  enjoyed  the  conversation  of  the  staff-officers  very 


192  WAR  REMINISCENCES  Ji  Y  THE 

much,  but  for  the  constant  and  annoying  questions  of 
the  medical  director.  This  officer  would  constantly 
interrupt  our  conversation — no  matter  what  the  sub- 
ject or  how  interesting — with  interrogations  about  his 
captured  horses.  When  more  intelligent  officers  were 
discussing  the  entertaining  subject  of  our  approaching 
surrender,  he  would  invariably  lug  in  Captain  Glass- 
cock  and  his  horses — his  pet  horses,  his  poor  horses, 
how  he  would  like  to  recover  his  horses.  Were  he  a 
savage  he  would  be  more  likely  to  assume  the  name 
of  Boston  Charley  or  Shack  Nasty  Jim  than  "  Young 
Man  Afraid  of  his  Horses."  At  least,  ho  was  not  afraid 
to  talk  about  his  horses  to  the  exclusion  of  every  other 
topic.  I  would  occasionally  interrogate  him  upon  the 
subject  of  military  surgery,  hospital  gangrene,  erysipe- 
las, pyemia,  gun-shot  wounds,  and  refer  to  the  rapid 
progress  made  in  our  profession  during  the  war — the 
scientific  wisdom  hived  by  our  brethren — as  the  only 
profitable  result  of  the  great  struggle.  Yet,  in  reply 
to  such  questions  as  related  to  the  approved  modern 
methods  of  treating  formidable  diseases  and  injuries, 
he  would  say  that  he  was  willing  to  pay  Captain 
Glasscock  any  reasonable  price  for  the  recovery  of  his 
horses.  Surely  Captain  Jinks,  of  the  Horse  Marines, 
did  not  have  a  more  affectionate  regard  for  his  favorite 
quadruped  that  was  so  tenderly  replenished  with 
"corn  and  beans"  than  did  General  Torbett's  surgeon 
manifest  for  the  animals  captured  by  Captain  Glass- 
cock. 


SURGEON  OF  MO&B  Y'S  COMMAND.  193 


CHAPTER  XXL 


pjAVING  faithfully  and  successfully  accomplished 
the  purpose  of  our  mission  to  Winchester,  we  at 
once  bade  adieu  to  our  newly -made  Yankee  friends  with 
many  wishes  for  their  future  welfare  and  continued 
happiness,  and,  in  company  with  our  polite  escort,  the 
two  handsome  Yankee  colonels,  galloped  back  to  Gen- 
eral Reno's  quarters.  We  found  our  friends,  Captain 
Frankland  and  Willie  Mosby,  patiently  awaiting  our 
return.  Their  general  appearance  indicated  that  they 
had  enjoyed  General  Reno's  society  and  shared  freely 
of  his  good  spirits  during  our  absence.  Willie  Mosby 
smiled  pleasantly,  as  only  a  very  happy  young  man 
can  smile  who  smiles  often ;  he  seemed  to  be  profoundly 
under  the  influence  of  General  Reno's  improved  laugh- 
ing-gas. The  General  had  been  kind  to  our  friends, 
and  had  evidently  moistened  his  lavish  hospitality 
with  a  very  liberal  allowance  of  Ohio  whiskey.  Willie, 
at  all  times  demonstrative,  became  more  so  under  the 
variety  of  disturbing  causes  by  which  he  was  sur-  ' 
rounded.  His  expressive  and  youthful  features 
expanded  into  an  immense  wealth  of  expression  under 
the  influence  of  mixed  excitement.  More  stern  and 
aged  tissues  are  not  as  flexible  under  the  strain  of 


194  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

mental  emotions  or  alcoholic  pressure.  He  welcomed 
Colonel  Chapman  and  myself  back  with  a  wild  and 
explosive  exclamation  of  delight,  that  sounded  more 
like  a  solitary  rsbel  yell  than  any  other  noise  I  have 
yet  known  to  escape  from  human  lips.  It  was  not 
altogether  a  civilized  sound;  he  seemed  to  forget  that 
we  were  yet  the  guests  of  our  old  enemies.  Much  to 
the  surprise  and  mortification  of  my  silent  companion, 
Colonel  Chapman,  he  loudly  proclaimed  in  the  pre- 
sencs  of  General  Reno  and  his  staff  officers :  "  This  is 
the  first  time  in  my  life  I  have  ever  seen  the  derned 
live  Yankees  in  a  natural  state.  By  G — d !  we  can  kill 
a  thousand  of  them  and  then  get  away."  Then  taming 
down  his  ardor,  he  asked  me,  in  that  croaking,  gosling 
voice  so  peculiar  to  youthful  inebriation,  what  I  thought 
of  his  suggestion.  I  told  him  that,  judging  from  the 
unquestionable  evidence  before  me,  I  was  forced  to 
believe  that  whiskey  was  indeed  a  potent  factor  in  the 
destruction  of  human  reason,  and  I  had  already  seen 
causa  to  believe  the  same  agent  was  also  a  formidable 
engine  of  death ;  that  I  thought  it  exceedingly  proba- 
ble the  Yankees,  whether  in  the  natural  or  artificial 
state,  could  be  slaughtered  by  thousands ;  if  they  used 
that  agent  as  freely  as  he  had,  they  would  kill  them- 
selves, and  would  hence  save  us  all  the  unnecessary 
trouble  in  the  vain  effort  to  accomplish  the  sanguinary 
purposes  he  so  patriotically  recommended.  This  sin- 
gular mode  of  reasoning  seemed  to  console  and  quiet 
him  very  much.  He  took  only  one  more  glass  of  Ohio 
consolation,  stuck  one  of  General  Reno's  largest  cigars 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  195 

between  his  teeth,  and  announced  himself  ready  for 
any  emergency.  From  his  improved  appearance  I 
thought  he  was  quite  ready. 

Slowly  and  sadly  we  returned  to  the  county  of  Fau- 
quier.  Mosby  had  awaited  our  arrival  at  Glen  Welby 
with  feelings  of  uncertainty  as  to  the  result  of  our  mis- 
sion to  Winchester.  When  we  gave  him  the  commu- 
nication from  General  Hancock  granting  him  all  the 
privileges  and  immunities  we  had  asked  under  his  own 
instructions,  he  very  promptly  decided  that  it  was  not 
his  intention  to  surrender  his  command  at  all,  but 
thought  it  was  his  duty  to  disband  his  forces  and  per- 
mit officers  and  private  soldiers  to  return  to  their 
respective  homes. 

One  of  Mosby's  peculiarities  when  engaged  in  pro- 
found meditation  was  the  habit  of  picking  his  teeth 
with  a  wooden  toothpick,  gazing  at  nothing  with  great 
intensity,  then  deliberately  chewing  the  toothpick  until 
it  was  entirely  destroyed.  Until  this  process  was  ended 
it  was  useless  to  address  him,  as  he  was  never  known 
tj  make  a  reply,  even  to  the  most  important  question, 
while  any  of  the  toothpick  remained.  I  have  known 
him,  when  absorbed  in  deep  and  anxious  thought,  to 
destroy  two  or  more  toothpicks  in  this  way.  He  would 
sometimes  use  a  small  twig  in  place  of  a  toothpick,  and 
it  ssemed  to  depend  somewhat  on  the  siz3  of  the  mate- 
rial Ii3  was  engaged  in  chewing  how  long  his  spell  of 
total  abstraction  would  continue. 

On  this  occasion,  as  well  as  I  can  remember,  while 
engaged  in  the  unpleasant  contemplation  of  surrender- 


196  WAR  REMINISCENCES  By  THE 

ing  his  faithful  followers,  he  consumed  three  or  four 
toothpicks,  and  said  not  a  word  until  the  last  vestige 
of  wood  had  disappeared.  It  was  his  custom  when 
r33Dvering  from  one  of  these  protracted  reverisjj  to 
speak  of  som3  subject  entirely  foreign  to  whatever 
themo  furnished  the  topic  of  his  last  conversation.  So 
it  was  in  this  instancs.  After  thinking  severely  in 
earnest  for  a  long  time  he  turned  to  me  with  a  vacant 
expression  and  a  most  unmeaning  grin  and  asked  ms, 
with  the  air  of  a  sick  man  just  awaking  from  a  pro- 
found and  protracted  sleep,  "  Doctor,  what  do  you  think 
of  the  widow?"  "Confound  the  widow,"  I  replied, 
"  What  in  the  name  of  the  paternal  ancestors  of  all  the 
mules  in  creation  has  the  widow  to  do  with  the  serious 
question  before  us?"  The  widow  referred  to  was  a 
lady  of  considerable  beauty  and  many  accomplish- 
ments. She  was  one  of  the  Colonel's  favorites.  When 
I  first  entered  his  "confederacy"  he  had  introduced  me 
to  this  lady,  and  had  recommended  me  as  one  of  his 
warmest  personal  friends;  and  to  .have  a  good  joke 
and  a  little  fun  of  his  own,  he  represented  me  as  a 
beau  and  quite  a  catch.  The  lady  was  attractive, 
charming,  and  had  decidedly  winning  ways.  But  she 
was  that  kind  of  a  belle  that  probably  old  Nebuchad- 
nezzar would  have  fancied  in  his  day  and  generation 
more  than  any  prudent  surgeon  would  prize  in  the 

nineteenth  century.     Mrs.  F was  a  grass  widow 

with  a  live  husband  a  long  way  off,  way  down  among 
the  gold-diggers  .of  California.  Not  many  days  pre- 
vious to  our  visit  to  Winchester  the  Colonel  and  myself 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  F'/S'  COMMAND  197 

had  dined  at  the  hospitable  and  delightful  residence  of 

Mrs.  "W .     This  amiable  and  patriotic  lady  lived 

with  her  beautiful,  graceful  and  refined  daughters  and 
nieces  only  three  miles  from  Salem.  The  widow  in 
question  was  her  guest.  This  hospitable  abode  was  an 
elysium  for  Mosby's  men.  It  was  a  place  of  light  and 
life,  of  music,  laughter,  beauty  and  bliss.  Whenever 
Mosby  was  sad  or  disheartened  by  misfortunes  to  his 
command  or  his  country;  whenever  he  was  depressed 
in  spirits  or  any  disaster  cast  its  shadow  of  gloom  across 
his  pathway  of  duty,  he  would  invariably  visit  the 
delightful  precincts  of  Waveland  and  have  there  the 
dark  foreboding  of  sad  thoughts  laughed  out  of  him 
by  the  bright  and  cheerful  magic  of  that  charmed 
circle  of  lovely  and  lively  young  ladies.  At  the  din- 
ner-table the  fascinating  and  fashionable  grass-widow, 
believing,  as  she  had  been  informed,  that  I  was  yet 
in  the  market  of  matrimony,  and  feeling,  no  doubt, 
quite  at  home  in  the  adroit  use  of  those  irresistible 
charms  that  the  genuine  widow  habitually  directs  with 
such  marvelous  power,  addressed  herself  particularly 
to  me,  and  succeeded  in  getting  off  some  very  excel- 
lent specimens  of  original  wit.  As  I  was  somewhat 
awkward  in  making  known  my  real  status,  thinking 
that  it  would  be  unpleasant  to  the  Colonel  for  me  to 
state  plainly  that  I  was  not  in  the  hymeneal  market, 
as  I  would  thereby  spoil  his  little  joke  and  destroy  the 
innocent  fun  he  had  manufactured  for  his  own  amuse- 
ment, I  hesitated,  and  the  widow  advanced  her  sharp- 
shooters all  along  the  line.  With  the  skill  of  a  true 


198  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  TJTK 

and  practiced  archer  she  threw  her  arrows,  feathered 
with  cunning  wit  and  directed  with  unerring  aim- 
Mosby  was  delighted  with  the  success  of  his  ruse.  It 
was  working  finely.  Every  one  at  the  table  knew  I 
was  invulnerable  except  the  charming  widow,  and  all 
seemed  to  enjoy  with  great  zest  the  stolid  manner 
in  which  I  received  the  splendidly  directed  and  inces- 
sant fire  from  this  sprightly  and  brilliant  fortress. 
Mosby  had  his  stern  features  kindled  into  an  express- 
ive smile  that  gradually  expanded  into  a  fixed  and 
significant  grin;  the  young  ladies  laughed  by  platoons; 
even  the  graceful  and  dignified  lady  of  the  house 
exhibited  more  symptoms  of  mirth  than  I  had  before 
witnessed  on  her  calm  and  handsome  face.  The  widow 
said  she  had  been  favorably  impressed  with  me  from 
the  moment  her  friend,  Colonel  Mosby,  had  introduced 
ine;  that  she  had  seen  a  good  deal  of  the  world  in  her 
travels,  but  she  believed  she  had  at  last  discovered  her 
beau  ideal;  that  my  being  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Colonel  Mosby  increased  her  regard  for  me  so  much 
that  she  had  concluded  to  set  her  cap  for  me.  I  thought 
this  sort  of  fun  had  gone  just  about  far  enough,  and 
whether  it  was  pleasing  or  offensive  to  my  chief  I 
determined  at  once  to  put  an  extinguisher  upon  it. 
I  at  once  advised  my  charming  and  vivacious  female 
friend  that  in  the  event  she  concluded  to  set  her  cap 
for  me  to  set  the  largest  one  she  had;  that  I  had  good 
reason  to  believe  I  would  be  able  to  fill  it.  She  quickly 
asked  why  she  should  set  a  larger  cap  for  me  than  for 
any  one  else.  I  told  her  she  was  fishing  in  deeper 
water  than  usual,  and  if  successful  she  would  catch 


SUXGJVON  OF  MOSB  Y>S  COMMAND.  199 

more  than  she  bargained  for,  as  I  could  promise  as 
much  as  a  wife  and  seven  children  for  the  first  haul, 
on  my  part,  and  if  the  executive  officer  of  her  own 
household  should  come  in  from  the  Pacific  slope  it 
would  amount  almost  to  a  certainty  that  somebody  else 
would  have  to  slope  also. 

I  have  never  known  whether  it  was  the  sudden  dis- 
covery of  my  own  multiplication  or  her  domestic 
division  that  so  startled  and  shocked  the  fair  widow. 
She  blushed  an  honest  blush,  and  gave  me  a  fierce 
glance,  that  conveyed  all  the  meaning  of  a  whole  bat- 
tery of  Gatling  guns,  supported  by  a  Chinese  man-of- 
war.  She  threw  down  her  knife  and  fork,  and  with 
an  air  of  majestic  though  savage  grandeur,  flirted  out 
of  the  room  with  a  storm  of  laughter  from  the  young 
ladies  and  Mosby's  fixed  and  rigid  grin  to  cheer  her 
exit.  This  was  the  last  interview  I  ever  had  with  the 
fascinating  widow,  and  I  have  never  learned  whether 
her  cap  is  still  setting  or  not;  if  so,  it  is  very  still  so 
far  as  my  knowledge  or  interest  in  it  is  concerned. 
With  a  distinct  recollection  of  the  elder  Mr.  Weller's 
advice,  I  am  at  all  times  prepared  to  "beware  of  the 
vidows." 

But  for  the  fact  that  she  gave  Colonel  Mosby  an 
opportunity  of  exercising  his  peculiar  habit  of  chang- 
ing a  conversation  to  a  subject  that  no  one  could  pos- 
sibly be  thinking  of  but  himself,  it  is  more  than  proba- 
ble I  should  never  have  thought  of  this  fascinating 
personage  again.  I  earnestly  urged  him  to  ignore  for 
the  present  all  frivolous  subjects  and  proceed  at  once 
to  the  serious  work  before  us.  He  said,  with  a  provok- 


200  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

ing  laugh,  that  the  widow  was  not  a  frivolous  subject, 
and  he  believed  I  was  afraid  of  her  The  truth  of 
Mirabeau's  assertion  that  Frenchmen  are  composed  of 
equal  part  of  monkey  and  tiger,  applies,  I  believe,  to 
other  people  than  the  natives  of  Gaul.  To  think  that 
a  distinguished  military  leader,  who  had  inscribed  his 
name  so  deservedly  high  on  the  column  of  martial 
fame,  and  who  now  was  engaged  in  the  serious  and  sad 
contemplation  of  parting  perhaps  forever  with  those 
brave  followers  who  had  contributed  so  much  to  the 
glory  or  his  record  and  had  shared  so  many  dangers 
with  him,  caused  me  to  feel  too  solemn  to  participate 
in  such  ill-timed  and  badly  digested  jokes  about  any 
giddy-headed  or  light-hearted  widow. 

There  was  much  talk  but  very  little  certainty  among 
the  officers  and  men  as  to  what  the  erratic  genius  of 
Mosby  would  determine.  We«  knew  that  only  a  few 
hours  remained  for  us  to  consider  any  plans  for  future 
action.  Judging  by  the  opinions  expressed  among 
the  officers,  it  was  clear  that  the  majority  were  in  favor 
of  surrender,  while  a  few  considered  it  more  consistent 
with  the  dignity  and  honor  of  the  command  to  dis- 
band and  permit  every  man  to  act  for  himself.  Only 
a  few  days  of  disastrous  news  had  produced  a  wonder- 
ful change  in  the  spirits  of  the  brave  followers  of  the 
lost  cause.  Each  man  felt  that  he  had  faithfully  per- 
formed his  part  even  under  the  most  trying  and 
adverse  circumstances,  and  could  bear  the  humiliation 
of  disaster  and  defeat  with  the  fortitude  and  strength 
that  a  clear  consciousness  of  duty  faithfully  performed 
will  ever  bequeath  to  the  brave  and  true  soldier. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY^S  COMMAND.  201 


CHAPTER   XXII. 


H^HE  sands  in  the  hour-glass  of  the  doomed  Confed- 
|  eracy  were  fast  fading  from  the  anxious  gaze  of  her 
devoted  and  chivalrous  defenders.  The  last  faint  ray 
of  hope  was  descending  rapidly  below  the  horizon. 
Fate,  with  the  blackness  of  an  Arctic  night,  filled  the 
Southern  soul  with  unutterable  gloom.  Solitary,  dis- 
mal, blackened  chimneys  and  deserted  homesteads 
marked  the  decline  and  fall  of  our  ill-fated  sys- 
tem of  self-government.  To  those  brave  spirits  that 
had  followed  the  varying  fortunes  of  our  cherished 
cause  through,  sunshine  and  storm,  through  victory 
and  defeat,  through  evil  and  through  good  report,  the 
ordeal  was- indeed  one  of'  unprecedented  and  transcen- 
dental cruelty.  When  the  endurance  of  the  soldier  is 
submitted  to  the  severe  test  of  physical  pain,  hardship, 
privation,  want  and  peril ;  when  in  the  heat  and  hell 
of  battle  he  is  nerved  by  dauntless  courage  and 
patriotic  impulse,  the  better  elements  of  his  nature 
predominate  over  the  baser  emotions,  and  the  latent 
philosophy  of  his  being  overcomes  alike  the  cowardice 
of  fear  and  the  sense  of  pain. 

"  There  is  something  of  pride  in  the  perilous  hour, 
Whate'er   be  the  shape  in  which  death  may  lower; 
Fame  is  there  to  see  who  bleeds, 


202  WAR  REMINISCENCES  B  Y  THE 

And  honor's  eyes  on  daring  deeds. 

But,  when  that  is  done,  it  is  humbling  to  tread, 

Over  the  weltering-  field  of  the  tombless  dead  ; 

While  worms  of  the  earth,  birds  of  the  air, 

And  beasts  of  the  forest  all  gathering  there — 

All  regarding  man  as  their  prey — 

All  rejoicing  in  his  decay." 

When  the  undue  strain  and  tension  of  a  terrible  and 
protracted  struggle  against  fearful  odds  for  four  long 
years  gives  away  suddenly  to  the  abnormal  reaction  of 
hopeless  defeat,  relaxation  assumes  the  form  of  mental 
torture  that  the  most  cruel  savage  might  envy  in  his 
barbarous  though  impotent  rage.  The  ripe  resources 
of  human  iniquity  have  been  exhausted  in  the  vain 
endeavor  to  discover  or  accomplish  a  more  hideous 
form  of  acute  suffering  than  the  murderous  blow  from 
tho  mailed  hand  of  insolent,  haughty  and  defiant 
despotism,  that  curses  the  prostrate  form  of  defense- 
less liberty.  So  earnest  was  the  fight,  and  so  absorb- 
ing the  clash  of  arms,  that  few  men  paused  to  contem- 
plate the  possibility  of  defeat.  Now  that  war  and 
mental  chaos,  with  all  its  elements  combined,  sub- 
merged the  hope  of  liberty  in  the  black  sea  of  irrevo- 
cable anarchy  and  desolation,  we  were  peremptorily 
commanded  by  inevitable  destiny  to  submit  to  the 
ugly  decrees  of  a  fate  far  more  intolerable  than  death 
without  the  cheering  promise  of  final  resurrection. 

Mosby  directed  all  his  commissioned  officers  and  a 
few  of  his  most  trustworthy  scouts  to  rendezvous  at 
Paris,  a  small  village  in  the  county  of  Fauquier  about 
three  miles  from  Berry's  Ford,  on  the  Shenandoah 
river,  punctually  at  10  A.  M.  the  following  day.  At 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'3  COMMAS; >.  203 

the  time  appointed  about  twenty  as  brave  men  as  ever- 
met  the  shock  of  battle,  well  mounted  and  equipped, 
patiently  awaited  at  Paris  the  coming  of  their  chief. 
We  started  punctually  at  the  appointed  time,  and  ford- 
ing the  river  without  difficulty  arrived  at  Millwood 
thirty  minutes  before  the  hour  fixed  by  General  Han- 
cock that  our  truce  should  expire.  We  found  General 
Chapman  and  staff,  with  several  other  Federal  officers, 
awaiting  our  arrival.  General  Chapman  expressed  much 
regret  that  the  time  allowed  us  by  the  terms  of  our 
truce  was  so  limited ;  that  he  had  some  doubt  that  we 
could  accomplish  our  purpose  and  arrange  the  final 
terms  of  surrender  before  the  hour  of  twelve.  He  was 
acting  under  orders  from  General  Hancock  and  had 
no  option  in  the  matter.  General  Hancock  had  fixed 
the  time  for  the  truce  to  expire  with  Mosby,  and  his 
only  duty  was  obedience  to  the  command  of  his  supe- 
rior; that  he  did  not  possess  the  power  to  alter  terms 
of  truce  fixed  by  the  commanding  general,  but  would 
take  the  liberty  of  arranging  another  truce  for  the 
period  of  twenty-four  hours,  if  agreeable  with  Colonel 
Mosby;  and  suggested  that  we  return  at  an  earlier 
hour  on  the  following  day.  This  arrangement  was 
finally  accepted  by  Mosby,  and  we  once  more  departed 
for  the  county  of  Fauquier. 

The  distance  from  Millwood  to  the  several  abodes  of 
Mosby's  men  would  average  twenty  to  thirty  miles. 
Many  of  them,  fatigued  by  the  previous  day's  journey, 
slept  late  on  the  morning  of  the  final  meeting.  We 
met  at  Paris  a  half  hour  later  than  on  the  previous 


i!< H  WAR  REMINISCENCES  £ Y  THE 

day,  and  consequently  arrived  at  Millwood  almost  at 
the  exact  hour  that  the  second  truce  expired.  We 
found  fifteen  Federal  officers  again  awaiting  us.  They 
were  seated  in  a  large  room,  called  a  parlor  in  the  only 
hotel  in  the  little  village  of  Millwood.  Mosby  walked 
in  rapidly,  followed  by  twenty  of  his  officers.  Taking 
a  seat  by  one  of  the  Federal  officers,  whose  name  I 
have  forgotten,  he  entered  into  an  earnest  conversation 
with  him.  The  first  words  were  spoken  in  such  low 
tones  that,  though  sitting  near  them,  I  did  not  hear 
what  they  said. 

While  we  were  engaged  in  this  interesting  interview 
within  doors,  some  excitement  was  going  on  outside. 
The  irrepressible  Hern  had  accompanied  us  without 
any  special  invitation.  He  was  a  rough  diamond  in 
his  own  way,  and  did  not  recognize  the  difference 
between  a  diplomatic  military  mission  and  a  regular 
raid.  Hern  had  formed  some  acquaintance  with  the 
Yankee  soldiers  immediately  on  his  arrival,  and  his 
ruling  passion  for  the  turf  prompted  him  at  once  to 
proposo  a  horse  race  with  his  new  made  acquaintance. 
The  challenged  Yank  accepted,  and  a  spirited  race  was 
the  immediate  result.  Hern  had  a  vague  suspicion 
that  the  Yankees  had  planned  this  meeting  for  the  pur- 
pose of  capturing  Mosby  and  his  officers.  He  had 
never  mentioned  his  suspicions  to  any  one;  but  in  the 
race  with  his  Yankee  competitor  an  event  occurred 
that  ripened  his  suspicion  into  a  certainty  true  as 
"  proof  of  holy  writ."  Hern  and  his  rival  turfman, 
after  testing  the  speed  of  their  horses  nearly  a  mile, 


SURGEON  OF  MOSB  Y'S  COMMAND.  205 

ran  into  the  solid  ranks  of  a  Federal  brigade.  No 
sooner  did  this  faithful  and  zealous  soldier  discover 
the  hostile  array  of  blua  uniforms  than  his 
suspicion  of  foul  play  became  a  fixed  conviction, 
lie  abandoned  the  race  and  returned  with  an 
earnestness  and  speed  that  would  have  reflected 
some  credit  upon  the  Knight  of  De  La  Mancha 
•in  his  memorable  charge  upon  the  insolent  wind-mill. 
Hern  was  a  rough  but  ready  partisan.  Like  many 
other  people,  he  was  "not  handsome,  neither  did  he 
dress  well.  No  careful  observer  would  ever  discover 
any  very  striking  resemblance  between  Solomon  in  all 
his  glory  and  my  fellow-soldier  Hern.  Yet  he  was 
faithful,  reliable,  and  earnest ;  determined,  daring,  and 
brave.  "When  he  rode  into  a  strong  body  of  Yankee 
cavalry  just  beyond  the  limits  of  Millwood  he  felt  sure 
he  had  made  a  far  more  wonderful  and  important  dis- 
covery than  Christopher  Columbus  or  Isaac  Newton 
ever  d'id.  He  came  back  breathless,  excited,  and 
alarmed  for  the  safety  of  his  admired  and  beloved 
leader.  Just  as  Mosby  and  the  Yankee  General  had 
entered  upon  the  most  interesting  and  important  phase 
of  their  mission,  with  the  strained  attention  of  thirty 
or  forty  officers  bearing  upon  them,  eagerly  catch- 
ing every  word  that  escaped  their  lips;  just  as  the 
potent  and  grave  representative  of  Yankee  authority 
announced  to  Mosby  the  fiat  of  his  omnipotent  judg- 
ment; just  as  he  announced  the  imperative  decree 
(looking  the  subtile  and  active  guerrilla  chief  full  in 
the  face),  "The  truce  has  ended;  we  can  have  no  fur- 


206  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

ther  intercourse  under  its  terms" — at  this  moment 
Hern  rushed  into  the  room.  With  frantic  gestures 
and  hasty  speech  he  reported  the  important  result  of 
his  personal  observations.  "Colonel,  Colonel,"  he 
exclaimed,  "  the  infernal  devils  have  sot  a  trap  for 
you;  I  jist  now  run  out  about  a  mile  and  I  found  a 
thousand  uv  urn  a  hidin'  in  the  bushes!  They're  in 
ambush!  Less  fight  um,  Colonel ;  darn  urn!  It's  a 
trick;  it's  a  trick  to  capture  us,  by  G — d,  it  is." 

Taken  altogether,  the  several  incidents  of  this 
remarkable  interview  in  the  parlor  at  Millwood  were 
well  calculated  to  test  the  moral  courage,  determined 
pluck,  or  military  skill  of  any  leader.  With  the  sig- 
nificant voice  of  the  great  mouth-piece  of  Federal 
power  imparting  the  irritable  intelligence  that  we  were 
no  longer  protected  by  the  flag  of  truce,  simulta- 
neously with  this  bad  news  came  the  startling  appari- 
tion of  the  rough  and  clumsy  Hern  announcing  the 
clustering  outside  perils  of  our  alarming  situation. 
With  a  look  that  I  shall  never  forget  Mosby  sprang  to 
his  feet,  instantly  grasping  one  of  the  murderous  wea- 
pons in  his  belt,  and  glaring  upon  the  Yankee  officers 
with  an  expression  that  reminded  me  more  of  a  tiger 
crouching  to  spring  upon  his  prey  than  anything  I 
have  ever  seen  appertaining  to  the  human  race,  he  said, 
in  a  loud  and  sharp  voico,  "Sir,  if  we  are  no  longer 
under  the  protection  of  our  trues  we  are  of  courso  tit 
the  mercy  of  your  men.  We  shall  protect  ourselves." 
With  that  inimitable  sign  and  gesture  that  so  often 
had  sent  his  gallant  followers  like  a  thunderbolt  into 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY1  S  COMMAND.  207 

the  serried  ranks  of  the  foe,  he  led  the  way  with  long 
and  rapid  strides  to  the  door,  closely  followed  by 
twenty  silent  bat  as  determined  officers  as  ever  bore  a 
military  commission.  It  was  a  scene  difficult  to 
describe  but  never  to  be  forgotten.  Every  partisan 
was  well  prepared  for  instant  death  and  more  than 
ready  for  a  desperate  fight.  Had  a  single  pistol  been 
discharged  by  accident,  or  had  Mosby  given  the  word, 
not  ona  Yankee  officer  in  the  room  would  have  lived 
a  minute.  With  Hern's  warning  voice  ringing  in  our 
ears  we  mounted  our  horses  in  silence  and  Mosby  led 
the  way.  His  only  word  of  command  was,  "Mount 
and  follow  me."  We  galloped  rapidly  from  Millwood 
to  the  Shenandoah  river,  closely  followed  by  a  cloud 
of  Yankee  cavalry. 

This  was  the  final  interview  of  Mosby 's  command 
with  the  Yankees.  Thus  closed  the  last  scene  of  this 
remarkable  drama  on  the  guerrilla  stage.  The  day 
^following,  the  battalion  was  summoned  for  the  last 
time  by  command  of  Colonel  Mosby.  It  met  at  Salem, 
in  Fauquier  county,  to  hear  the  farewell  address  of  its 
brave  and  beloved  commander: 

"Soldiers:  I  have  summoned  you  together  for  the 
last  time.  The  vision  we  cherished  of  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent country  has  vanished,  and  that  country  is 
now  the  spoil  of  a  conqueror.  I  disband  your  organi- 
zation in  preference  to  surrendering  to  our  enemies. 
I  am  no  longer  your  commander.  After  an  associa- 
tion of  more  than  two  eventful  years  I  part  from  you 
with  a  just  pride  in  the  fame  of  your  achievements, 


208  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

and  grateful  recollections  of  your  generous  kindness 
to  myself.  And  now,  at  this  moment  of  bidding  you 
a  final  adieu,  accept  the  assurance  of  my  unchanging 
confidence  and  regard.  Farewell ! " 

This  address  was  delivered  in  a  voice  tremulous  with 
emotions  of  grief  to  eight  hundred  brave  partisans, 
who  listened  with  bowed  heads  and  moist  eyes  to  the 
sad  words  that  dissolved  and  severed  forever  the  strong 
bonds  that  bound  them  to  their  gallant  chief. 

Thus  the  curtain  fell,  the  footlights  were  extin- 
guished, and  the  actors  in  this  exciting  drama  moved 
slowly  from  the  stage  1 


SKETCHES  OF  PRISON  LIFE. 


BY  A    GUERRILLA. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


On  the  14th  inst.  Col.  Mosby  struck  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad,  at  Duffield  station,  and  destroyed 
a  U.  S.  mail  train,  consisting  of  a  locomotive  and  ten 
cars,  securing  twenty  prisoners  and  fifteen  horses. 
Among  the  prisoners  were  two  paymasters  with  $168,- 
000  in  Goverment  bonds. 

Signed,  R.  E.  LEE,  General. 

While  Mosby  was  engaged  in  the  raid  referred  to  by 
the  above  report  of  Gen.  Lee,  Col.  Gansevoort,  com- 
manding two  regiments  of  cavalry  and  the  first  reg- 
iment of  Pennsylvania  infantry,  guided  by  a  traitor 
to  our  cause  and  a  deserter  from  Mosby's  command? 
named  John  Lunsford,  made  a  raid  on  Emory's,  on 
the  Cobbler  mountain,  and  captured  four  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery. This  was  the  only  battery  of  artillery  attached 
to  Mosby's  command.  The  guns  were  in  charge  of 
Capt.  A.  G.  Babcock,  one  of  the  most  able,  trusted,  and 
faithful  officers  of  our  command.  A  few  days  before 
this  event,  Capt.  Babcock,  with  his  artillery  and 
only  one-hundred  and  fifty  men,  defeated  and  put 
to  fiight  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  at  Salem,  in 


210  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

Fauquier    county,  killing  a  considerable  number  and 
capturing    two  hundred  prisoners.     Captain  Babcock 
informed    roe    that    the   Yankee    force    defeated    in 
this  engagement    consisted  chiefly    of  Pennsylvania!! 
ninety-day    soldiers,    and  that  they    were  splendidly 
equipped,    "  many    of   them    having  both  hands  full 
of  gold   watches  and  other  jewelry  and   fine  things 
in  proportion."     One  hundred  and  fifty  partisans,  with 
two  pieces  of  artillery,  captured  two  hundred  prisoners 
and  much  valuable  property.     The  artillery  ammuni- 
tion  being  exhausted  in  this  fight,  Col.  Mosby  ordered 
Capt.  Babcock  to  remove  his  battery  to  Emory's,  in  the 
Cobbler  mountain,  to  conceal  his  guns  and  replenish  his 
caisous.     The  roads  were  in  such  bad  condition  that 
the  battery  had  to  be  moved  across  fields  and  through 
that    region  of  the  world  known  as  the  Free  State. 
Not  being  familiar  with  the  route  and  topography  of 
this  region,  one  John  Lunsford  was  detailed  to  act  as 
guide.     Two  days  after  the  pieces  were  concealed  in 
the  ivy  bushes  of  Cobbler  mountain,  the  gallant  Capt. 
Babcock,  Nathaniel   Pontier,  A.  G.   Wharton,  D.  S. 
Smith,  E.  M.  Jones,  and  John  Ayler  were  basely  be- 
trayed by  John  Lunsford,  and  captured  by  Col.  Gan- 
sevoort.     An  extract   from  a  Washington   paper  not 
many  days  after  this  capture,  under  the  head  of  "  Guer- 
rillas Sent  In,"  says:  "Six  guerrillas,  all    of  Mosby's 
light-horse  artillery  captured  near  Eectorstown  about 
a  week  ago,  were  sent  in  last  night  and  committed- to 
the  old  capitol.     Babcock  claims  to  be  a  private,  but 
he  is  a  captain,  and  the  commander  of  the  battery  of 
Mosby's  artillery,  which  was  captured  by  our  troops 
pome  time  nsro." 


SVHGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  211 

When  Capt.  Babcock  was  captured  in  the  Cobbler 
mountain,  the  first  question  asked  him  after  his  name 
was  ascertained  by  the  Yankee  officer  making  the  cap- 
ture: "You  are  the  very  man  I  am  looking  for  where 
are  your  guns  and  ammunition?"  proved  beyond  all 
doubt  that  the  deserter  Lunsford  was  the  traitor. 
The  Captain  refused  to  tell  him  where  the  guns  were 
concealed.  But  the  desired  information  was  extorted 
from  one  of  the  drivers,  who  readily  pointed  the  way, 
under  the  promise  of  being  liberated  and  paroled. 
This  creature  was  released,  as  the  price  of  his  perfidy. 
He  was  a  weak  and  recreant  recruit  from  the  county 
of  Fairfax.  Capt.  Babcock  and  his  gallant  comrades 
were  sent  from  Emory's  to  Piedmont  station,  thence 
by  train  to  Alexandria,  and  there  lodged  in  the  Slave 
Pen,  a  prison  established  for  Yankee  criminals  and 
oounty  jumpers.  This  place  is  described  by  the  gal- 
lant Captain  as  being  as  unlike  paradise  as  its  uncom- 
fortable occupants  could  possibly  imagine.  It  was  a 
huge  pen,  with  a  brick  floor,  and  rough  planks  as  beds 
for  prisoners  to  repose  on.  After  spending  one  night 
in  this  purgatorial  retreat,  they  were  carried  before  that 
distinguished  individual,  Military  Governor  H.  H. 
Wells,  for  investigation.  A  close  and  interesting  in- 
terrogation of  Capt.  Babcock  ensued.  The  brave  Wells 
expressed  great  anxiety  and  much  curiosity  to  discover 
the  exact  number  of  guns  and  guerrillas  yet  extant  in 
Mosby's  "  Confederacy.  "  His  many  questions  were  all 
answered  after  a  manner  not  perfectly  satisfactory  to 
this  great  man.  The  Captain,  with  eminent  gravity 
and  as  much  deliberation  and  exactness  of  language  as 


212  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

he  could  well  command,  instructed  Gen.  Wells  carefully 
as  to  the  most  reliable  methods  of  acquiring  exact  mil- 
itary information  regarding  any  really  important  busi- 
ness, and  cautioned  this  excellent  though  inexperienced 
officer  against  placing  too  much  reliance  upon  any  in- 
telligence received  through  the  instrumentality  of  hos- 
tile informers.  The  Captian  expressed  to  the  General 
the  belief  that  he  would  be  enabled  to  get  the  desired 
knowledge  in  no  better  or  more  trustworthy  manner 
than  by  going  down  to  Mosby's  command  in  person 
and  thus  make  the  necessary  inquiries;  that  if  it  was 
not  too  unpleasant  or  disagreeable  he  could  count 
Mosby's  guerrillas  and  guns  himself. 

A  few  days  before  Capt.  Babcock  and  his  brave  com- 
rades were  captured,  a  squad  of  guerrillas  had  attacked 
a  train  on  the  Manassas  Gap  Railroad  at  White  Plains, 
destroyed  two  locomotives  and  a  large  number  of  cars, 
killed  the  superintendent  of  the  Orange  and  Alexan- 
dria Railroad,  captured  a  number  of  Yankees,  and  recap- 
tured a  few  of  Mosby's  men  that  were  prisoners  on  the 
train.  Gov.  Gen.  Wells  ordered  Capt.  Babcock  and 
his  fellow  prisoners  to  be  recommitted  to  the  Slave  Pen 
and  kept  as  hostages;  and  as  an  additional  security  for 
the  good  behavior  of  Mosby  and  his  command.  Gen. 
Wells  notified  Col.  Mosby  that  he  should  place  some  of 
his  prisoners  on  all  the  trains  leaving  or  returning  to 
Alexandria;  that  if  he  did  not  behave  better  in  future 
than  he  had  done  in  the  past,  the  next  time  he  tried 
any  of  his  foolishness  in  throwing  trains  oft'  the  track 
he  would  kill  some  of  his  own  rcen — to  all  of  which 
Mosby  replied  that  he  should  continue  the  even  tenor 


SURGEON  OF  MOSJBY^S  COMMAND.  213 

of  his  way,  and  that  if  his  own  wife  and  child  were  on 
the  train  and  it  was  necessary  to  attack  it,  that  simple 
fact  should  not  deter  him  from  fulfilling  his  duty. 
Wells  thereupon  issued  a  brutal  and  cowardly  order 
that  several  prominent  southern  sympathizing  citizens 
and  Mosby's  prisoners  should  be  placed  upon  all  the 
trains.  Dr.  Robinson,  and  Messrs.  Snowden  and  Dan- 
gerfield,  with  Capt.  Babcock  and  his  comrades  were 
crowded  into  a  box-car  next  to  the  locomotive  and 
sent  up  and  down  the  Railroad  from  Rectorstown  to 
Alexandria  for  five  weeks.  The  unjust  and  brutal  malice 
of  Wells  was  visited  upon  these  innocent  and  unoffend- 
ing citizens  because  their  wives  were  kind  to  the  hun- 
gry prisoners  and  sent  them  food  and  clothing.  The 
traitor  Lunsford  was  frequently  seen  at  Gen.  Auger's 
headquarters  at  Rectorstown  by  our  prisoners.  Pontier, 
one  of  the  prisoners,  would  never  forget  to  say  ugly 
things  to  the  traitor  wherever  seen.  Two  trains  were 
run  daily  from  Alexandria  to  Rectorstown,  with  cit- 
izens and  prisoners  as  a  safe-guard.  The  only  safety 
and  rest  the  prisoners  and  unfortunate  citizen  hostages 
enjoyed  was  on  the  Sabbath  day.  No  trains  were  run 
on  Sunday.  The  creatures  that  could  play  heathen  or 
savage  in  their  unprecedented  cruelty  and  barbarity  to 
innocent  men  and  helpless  women  were  far  too  pious 
to  allow  the  steam  horse  to  labor  on  the  Lord's  Day. 

About  this  period  of  their  prison  life  our  friends  were 
frequently  visited  by  the  curious  old  maids  and  school- 
marms  of  the  .North.  These  primped  up  female  oddi- 
ties, would  come  to  the  Slave  Pen  every  .Sunday.  The 
New  England  schoolmarm  is  a  peculiar  animal.  She  is 


214  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

as  trim  as  a  starved  race  horse,  with  a  waist  like  a  con- 
sumptive wasp,  and  she  is  always  anxious  to  see  a  rebel 
prisoner,  particularly  a  caged  guerrilla.  These  atten- 
uated specimens  of  New  England  female  humanity 
were  escorted  by  officious  and  foppish  Yankee  officers 
to  the  portion  of  the  slave  pen  occupied  by  Capt.  Bab- 
cock  and  his  partisan  comrades,  called  in  the  affected 
nomenclature  of  the  school  marm  dialect  the  "  Guerrilla 
Corner."  One  of  the  most  curious  and  inquisitive  of 
these  female  nondescripts  advanced  to  the  front,  raised 
her  glasses,  and  stared  the  Captain  full  in  the  face  for 
sometime  and  exclaimed,  with  an  air  of  great  surprise, 
"  Good  gracious  !  they  look  just  like  our  people."  The 
spinster  had  evidently  made  as  important  a  discovery 
as  the  great  philosopher  of  England  when  he  found  the 
paving-stone  with  "  Bill  Stump  his  mark  "  engraved 
upon  it.  Capt.  Babcock,  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
conspicuous  of  the  prisoners,  enjoying  upwards  of  six 
feet  of  altitude  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  avoirdu- 
pois— feeling  to  a  remarkable  degree  a  just  sense  of  dis- 
gust at  being  exhibited  and  glared  at  like  some  recently 
captured  wild  beast — arose  to  walk  away  from  the 
uncomfortable  gaze  of  the  ugly  basilisk.  As  he  put  his 
huge  anatomy  in  motion  he  seemed  to  alarm  his  un- 
welcome visitors  still  more.  As,  if  by  a  given  signal,  the 
old  schoolmarms  all  at  once  raised  their  shrivelled  arms 
before  their  elongated  withered,  and  homely  faces,  and 
with  a  shrill  voice  that  passed  rapidly  into  a  gentle  and 
excited  scream,  cried  out  "Good  gracious  !  what  a  big 
guerrilla."  Ever  since  that  memorable  scream  of  the 
schoolmarms  Capt.  Babcock  was  known  by  his  Yankee 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY^S  COMMAND.  215 

keepers  as  the  "  Big  Guerrilla."  From  the  Alexandria 
slave  pen  the  prisoners  were  removed  to  the  old  Cap- 
itol prison  in  Washington.  At  this  prison  all  the 
guerrillas  were  kept  together  and  separated  from  other 
prisoners.  Rations  here  were  much  better  than  at  the 
"  slave  pen."  Every  prisoner  had  his  due  allowance  of 
boiled  beans,  though  no  man  was  allowed,  under  the 
pain  of  severe  punishment  or  certain  death,  to  carry 
any  beans  out  of  the  rness  room.  Among  the  prisoners 
was  a  man  named  Prosser,  who  hailed  from  the  same 
State  that  furnished  a  president  to  the  Confederacy. 
This  prisoner,  to  use  the  unembellished  Saxon  of  his 
own  comrades,  was  a  "  great  hog  "  and  exhibited  a  most 
extraordinary  proclivity  for  "boiled  beans,"  and,  in 
short,  for  any  alimentary  article  that  could  by  any  pos- 
sibility be  digested.  Beans  were  good,  and  Prosser, 
like  Oliver  Twist,  wanted  more.  But  the  men  were 
not  permitted  to  carry  any  beans  out  of  the  mess-room. 
So  Prosser  armed  himself  with  a  quart  bottle,  and  the 
bottle  had  a  mouth  nearly  as  large  as  his  own.  He 
emptied  his  first  cup'of  beans  into  his  bottle  and  like 
little  Oliver,  passed  his  cup  for  more.  The  greedy  fel- 
low had  played  his  trick  successfully  for  some  time 
without  being  discovered.  Old  Rickett,  the  steward 
of  the  prison,  was  very  suspicious  regarding  the  dis- 
position of  Confederate  soldiers  in  his  charge  to -take 
beans  that  did  not  belong  to  them.  He  was  exceed- 
ingly watchful  and  one  day  he  arrested  Prosser  on  his 
way  out  of  the  mess-room  with  his  bottle  of  hot  beans 
under  his  jacket.  "  What  have  you  got  there  ?"  asked 
the  lynx-eyed  Rickett.  Prosser,  who  was  as  much  ad- 


216  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

dieted  to  lying  as  stealing  or  devouring  beans,  prompt- 
ly and  positively  declared  that  he  had  nothing  what- 
ever on  the  outside  of  him.  Rickett  was  not  so  easily 
satisfied  of  the  soundness  of  his  veracity.  Some  time 
was  lost  in  the  interview.  The  bottle  that  concealed 
the  beans  was  a  large  li  >ttle  used  for  preserving  pickle. 
The  beans  had  been  hurriedly  emptied  into  it  while 
yet  steaming  hot,  and  had  no  time  to  cool.  While  the 
medacions  glutton  was  using  his  best  efforts  of  reason , 
logic,  and  sophistry  to  convince  old  Rickett  that  he 
had  no  extra  beans  about  him,  the  bottle  exploded  by 
the  moist  heat  and  expansion  of  the  beans,  and  a  full 
stream  of  hot  boiled  beans  came  pouring  down  on  the 
floor  in  the  very  presence  of  the  watchful  Rickett. 
Much  to  the  surprise  of  the  lying  Prosser,  the  Cerberus 
of  the  mess-room  laughed  heartily  at  the  ludicrous  ac- 
cident, and  considered  it  so  good  a  joke  that  he  per- 
mitted the  Mississippi  glutton  to  depart  in  peace. 

Not  long  after  this  event,  Prosser  made  a  descent 
upon  the  provisions  of  an  officer.  Old  Clark,  one  of 
the  rulers  of  the  prison  and  consequently  a  very  prom- 
inent and  much  respected  officer,  enjoyed  great  au- 
thority and  many  privileges.  Among  others,  he  kept 
his  own  private  mess-room.  This  distingushed  patriot 
lived  much  better  than  the  prisoners — as  of  right  he 
should  have  done,  being  a  much  better  man,  no  doubt 
in  many  respects.  The  prisoners,  on  leaving  their  bean 
room,  had  to  pass  directly  by  the  door  of  old  Clark's 
mess-room.  Prosser,  in  passing  the  old  man's  door, 
like  any  other  dog,  could  smell  something  very  savory 
u  the  old  man's  table.  He  slyly  entered  the  room, 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  217 

and  without  difficulty  captured  a  nice,  fat,  well  cooked 
ham  and  a  pot  of  fresh  butter.  Prosser  wore  an  old 
and  somewhat  dilapidated  Confederate  jacket,  yet  this 
garment  was  stangely  elastic  and  could  be  made  to  co- 
ver any  reasonable  amount  of  provisions  at  a  moment's 
notice.  On  this  occasion  Prosser  retired  in  good  order, 
with  a  large  ham  and  a  pot  of  butter  well  covered  by 
his  short  though  serviceable  uniform.  The  hungry 
thief  made  good  his  retreat  and  concealed  his  stolen 
provisions  safely  under  his  bunk.  When  old  Clark  re- 
turned to  his  room — hungry  no  doubt,  as  all  good  pa- 
triotic officers  are  expected  to  be  when  arduously  en- 
gaged in  defending  their  country  against  the  tierce  at- 
tacks of  incarcerated  rebels — the  heroic  old  warrior 
missed  his  provisions  and  made  a  great  "  fuss."  The 
entire  prison  was  carefully  searched,  and  the  prisoners 
punished  by  a  special  order  depriving  them  of  supper. 
Yet  the  old  man  could  not  recover  his  bacon  and  but- 
ter. The  prisoners  were  too  true  to  turn  State's  evi- 
dence,  even  against  such  a  despicable  fraud  as  the  glut- 
tonous and  dishonest  Prosser. 


218  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

I 


CHAPTER  XXIY 


It  was  amusing  to  notice  with  what  rare  success 
Prosser  would  raid  upon  the  sutler's  store.  He  regar- 
ded the  art  of  stealing  as  a  virtuous  and  reputable  ac- 
complishment, and  exhibited  the  same  regard  for  to- 
bacco, apples,  cakes,  and  other  contraband  commodi- 
ties, that  a  cat  has  for  valerian.  Indeed,  every  article 
of  food  seemed  marvelously  adapted  to  Prosser's 
digestive  machinery,  while  the  fact  of  stealing  his  food 
seemed  to  add  a  powerful  incentive  to  his  otherwise  ex- 
cellent appetite.  Beans,  apples,  raw  potatoes,  and  gin- 
ger-bread would  vanish  before  his  wonderful  voracity 
like  snow  flakes  before  the  scorching  rays  of  a  tropical 
sun. 

If  every  man  could  be  made  to  comprehend,  and 
was  prepared  to  appreciate,  the  facility  with  which  peo- 
ple through  habit  can  adapt  themselves  to  the  most  pain- 
ful circumstances  and  associations,  even  the  threatened 
torments  of  hell  would  be  divested  of  half  their  terrors. 
Mosby's  men  in  the  old  Capitol  prison,  as  I  have  before 
stated,  were  not  in  a  condition  either  physically  or 
mentally  to  enable  them  to  enjoy  perfect  happiness; 
yet  they  were  kept  so  constantly  occupied  in  the  ar- 
duous ettbrt  to  preserve  their  cleanliness  and  remove 
the  various  causes  of  filth  and  disease,  that  they  were 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  219 

too  busy  to  regret  their  misfortunes  or  lament  their  sad 
condition.  To  such  readers  as  have  been  deprived  of 
the  pleasures  of  incarceration,  it  may  not  be  totally 
uninteresting  to  review  the  habits  and  rules  of  guer. 
rilla  life  in  the  old  Capitol  prison.  Mosby's  prisoners 
had  accumulated  from  time  to  time  for  many  months, 
until  the  old  Capitol  had  received  nearly  one  full  com- 
pany of  these  daring  and  resolute  Rebels.  Forty  men 
occupied  one  large  room,  and  were  arranged  in  bunks 
one  above  another.  They  divided  themselves  out  into 
committees  of  various  kinds;  there  were  scrubbing  com- 
mittees, sweeping  committees,  committees  of  vigilance, 
and  washing  committees. 

Dennis  Darden,  of  Washington  city,  was  elected  by 
the  prisoners  as  prison  seargent  and  ex- officio  judge  of 
this  oppressed  commonwealth.  His  decrees  were  like 
the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  irrevocable  and 
without  appeal.  Any  delinquencies  on  the  part  of  a 
prisoner,  or  the  slightest  violation  of  prison  rules,  would 
be  summarily  punished  by  a  process  quite  disagreeable 
to  the  offender  but  very  amusing  to  spectators.  The 
bastinado  of  the  East  or  the  Russian  knout  was  not  more 
feared  than  the  dreadful  cobb.  The  peculiar  process 
of  inflicting  the  penalty  for  the  most  trivial  infringe- 
ment of  prison  rules  was  called  cobbing,  and  as  the  un- 
sophisticated reader  may  be  ignorant  of  the  modus  oper. 
andi  of  this  highly  civilized  method  of  enforcing  obedi- 
ance,  it  may  be  interesting  to  describe  it.  The  vic- 
tim or  prisoner  when  convicted  was  led  out  of  his  bunk 
by  three  or  more  strong  men,  and  carefully  stretched 
across  a  table  or  bench,  then  one  of  the  most  muscular 


220  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

members  of  the  committee  of  retribution)  armed  with  a 
lath,  a  narrow  plank  or  the  stave  of  a  barrel,  would 
proceed  deliberately  but  forcibly  to  execute  the  decree 
of  Judge  Darden's-  court  by  inflicting  the  prescribed 
number  of  blows  set  forth  in  the  sentence,  upon  the 
prostrate  form  of  the  often der.  Should  any  prisoner 
make  resistance  to  the  just  execution  of  the  sentence 
he  was  entitled  by  the  common  law  which  was  the  cus- 
tom of  the  prison  to  an  additional  number  of  from  three 
to  six  blows  without  extra  costs  to  the  prosecution. 
For  the  same  reason,  possibly,  that  some  men  are  more 
fortunate  than  others,  some  of  the  prisoners  were  more 
prone  to  the  cobbing  process  than  their  less  enterpris- 
ing comrades.  Old  Prosser  was  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular candidates  for  cobbing  honors.  Whenever  it  was 
rumored  that  cobbing  was  about  to  commence  every 
eye  was  turned  to  Prosser's  bunk,  with  the  full  expec- 
tation of  seeing  him  laid  upon  the  table. 

I  have  mentioned  before,  some  of  the  peculiar  char- 
acteristics of  Prosser  besides  his  remarkable  propensity 
for  boiled  beans  and  indiscriminate  lying.  With  a  robust 
disposition  to  steal,  he  was  like  the  fat  boy  described 
in  Pickwick — always  asleep  when  not  engaged  in  steal- 
ing. Prosser  was  captured  while  asleep.  He  had  been 
ordered  by  Mosby  to  guard  several  Yankee  prisoners, 
and  of  course  became  drowsy.  While  asleep,  the  pri- 
soners disarmed  him  and  he  became  their  prisoner. 
Mosby  at  the  time  was  so  disgusted  and  incensed  at 
Prosser's  want  of  vigilance,  he  declared  he  would  be 
glad  if  they  would  hang  him.  So  strict  was  the  disci- 
pline arid  so  evenly  balanced  the  scales  of  justice  in  the 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBTS  COMMAND.  221 

prison  that  any  man  who  carelessly  spit  on  the  floor,  or 
in  any  other  way  intentionally  or  otherwise  soiled  or 
defiled  the  room,  would  be  guilty  of  conduct  unworthy 
of  a  partisan  and  [gentlemen,  whereupon  three  cobbs 
would  be  his  portion,  with  the  unerring  certainty  of 
fate. 

Each  man  had  to  wash  his  own  clothes,  or  if  he  was 
fortunate  enough  to  have  money,  he  could  hire  some 
one  poorer  than  himself  to  do  it  for  him.  If  any  one 
became  unclean  from  indolence  or  choice,  and  failed  to 
immediately  purge  himself  of  the  implied  contempt  of 
Judge  Darden's  court,  he  could  rely  on  the  certainty 
of  at  least  three  cobbs.  When  the  scrubbing  com- 
mittee held  its  meeting,  (and  the  floor  was  thoroughly 
scrubbed  twice  every  week,)  all  the  prisoners  had  to 
ascend  to  their  bunks,  and  there  remain  until  the  floor 
was  dry  again.  In  those  days,  and  in  the  old  Capitol 
prison,  there  were  men  called  oath-taker's,  and  there 
was  a  room  separate  and  distinct  from  the  other  apart- 
ments of  the  prison,  called  the  oath-taker's  room;  and  it 
came  to  pass  that  several  Confederate  prisoners,  who 
had  become  weary  of  prison  life,  determined,  without 
the  fear  of  the  Lord  before  their  eyes,  and  possibly  by 
the  instigation  of  the  devil,  straight  way  made  applica- 
tion to  take  the  oath.  And  it  came  to  pass  that  when 
these  weak  and  weary  Confederates  made  their  applica- 
tion to  the  good  and  great  Yankee  authorities,  for  the 
rare  privilege  of  once  more  swearing  to  be  good  boys 
.and  wipe  their  weeping  eyes  with  the  old  flag  again, 
they  were  at  once  separated  from  the  old  offenders, 
those  impenitent  sinners,  that  stood  more  in  need  of  a 


222  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

good  square  meal  than  all  the  oaths  in  Judge  Jeffrey's 
court.  When  once  the  young  convert  advanced  to  the 
anxious  bench  and  expressed  a  willingness  to  "jine," 
he  was  sent  to  the  oath-taker's  room  and  not  permitted 
again  to  associate  with  the  hardened  and  impenitent 
sinners  that  were  yet  lost  in  their  sins,  and  like  Eph- 
raim,  were  wedded  to  the  idols  of  the  land  of 
Dixie.  The  saints  were  permitted  to  mingle  with  the 
sinners  only  in  the  mess-room.  As  it  has  always  been 
when  the  ungodly  are  permitted  to  have  intercourse 
with  such  sanctified,  meek  and  submissive  spirits  as 
the  lamb-like  oath-takers,  many  disagreeable  incidents 
marred  the  pleasures  that  should  naturally  spring  from 
a  free  and  friendly  association  of  soldiers,  lighting  un- 
der the  same  flag,  for  the  same  cause,  and  caught  in 
the  same  trap.  Whenever  the  lambs  came  forth  from 
the  oath-taker's  room  to  get  their  boiled  beans,  the 
hardened  scoffers  at  the  shrine  of  Yankee  Doodle, 
would  invariably  say  ugly  things  to  them.  Then  the 
sensitive  and  repentent  children,  whose  tender  con- 
sciences could  allow  them  to  swear  allegiance  to  two 
hostile  governments  with  the  same  breath,  would  often 
lose  their  patience,  ruffle  their  gentle  tempers,  and  say 
many  things  back  at  the  rough  old  veterans,  that  man- 
ifested no  especial  meekness  on  their  part,  yet  were 
unmannerly  enough  to  show  the  badness  of  their  morals- 
On  one  occasion  an  oath-taker,  while  eating  his  boiled 
beans,  was  so  keenly  insulted  by  young  Monroe  Heiskell, 
(a  kinsmen  of  President  Monroe)  that  though  a  man 
of  small  statue,  the  oath-taker  unhesitatingly  proposed 
to  fight  the  little  fellow.  At  this  Capt.  Babcock,  one 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  223 

of  the  coolest  men  that.every  handled  ice,  quietly  asked 
the  belligerent  oath-taker  if  he  would  fight  a  man  of 
his  own  size  who  would  not  take  an  oath.  The  oath- 
taker  said  he  would.  At  once  Capt.  Babcock  ottered 
his  services,  when  the  fellow  declined  the  honor  because 
the  Captain  was  too  large.  He  was  probably  correct  in 
his  view  of  the  case,  as  the  Captain  had  already  been 
dubbed  by  a  delegation  of  New  England  schoolmarms 
the  "  Big  Guerrilfa." 

As  the  man  who  had  sworn  to  support  the  United 
States  Government  seemed  to  be  in  earnest,  Capt. 
Babcock  nominated  his  young  friend  Sclater,  of  Balti- 
more, who  was  of  marvelous  proper  size  and  a  clever 
representative  of  the  Confederate  Government  in  gen- 
eral and  Mosby's  command  in  particular,  who  would 
be  pleased  no  doubt  to  decide  by  a  fair  fight  the  merits 
of  hard  swearing  or  no  swearing  at  all.  The  fellow 
asked  young  Sclater  if  he  would  fight,  and  Sclater  re- 
plied by  a  blow  in  the  face  that  sent  the  penitent  roll- 
ing over  the  prison  floor. 

This  adventure  caused  some  excitement  among  the 
Yankee  authorities;  to  see  one  of  their  young  converts 
punished  and  belabored  by  an  unredeemed  liebel,  and 
guerrilla  at  that,  was  more  than  Yankee  patriotism 
was  prepared  to  tolerate.  Capt.  Babcock,  Monroe, 
Heiskell,  and  Henry  Sclater  were  at  once  arrested  and 
put  into  a  dungeon. 

Babcock,  Sclater,  and  Hieskell  were  probably  the 
most  perverse,  obstinate,  and  incorrigible  Rebels  in  all 
the  old  Capitol  Prison.  What  would  have  been  intol- 
erable punishment  to  weaker  minds  or  more  unstable 


224  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

souls  was  a  luxury  to  those  hardened  reprobates. 
Even  Lafayette,  the  great  friend  of  human  liberty,  did 
not  enjoy  his  dungeon  life  during  the  long  five  years  of 
incarceration  at  Almutz  more  than  our  desperate  parti- 
zans  enjoyed  the  old  Capitol  dungeon  during  their  brief 
imprisonment.  These  brave  and  resolute  fellows  were 
no  sooner  separated  from  their  comrades  and  environed 
by  the  dark,  damp  walls  of  the  gloomy  dungeon,  than 
they  immediately  cast  about  for  some  method  of  escape. 
The  body  of  a  partizan  may  be  confined  by  chains  and 
prison  walls,  but  his  brave  soul  cannot  be  cribbed,  cab- 
ined, or  confined,  by  all  the  chains  of  slavery  yet  for- 
ged by  the  genius  of  tyranny.  Weaker  souls  yield  a 
ready  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  diabolical  despotism; 
but  such  spirits  as  Babcock,  Sclater,  and  young  Hies- 
kell,  cannot  be  tamed  by  brute  force  or  arbitrary  power. 
No  sooner  were  the  ponderous  doors  closed  upon  them 
than  they  began,  in  activity  and  earnest,  to  cut  their 
way  out  by  burrowing  under  the  floor  of  their  cell. 
Never  did  men  work  with  more  energy.  Surrounded 
by  foul  air  and  damp,  dark  walls,  they  tunnelled  under 
the  earth  a  great  distance  until  their  progress  was  ob- 
structed by  the  solid  masonry  and  frame  work  of  the 
outer  wall  of  the  dungeon.  During  the  twelve  hours 
of  their  close  confinement  within  the  dungeon  walls, 
they  had  worked  with  great  activity.  They  were  great- 
ly disappointed  when  relieved  from  their  intended 
punishment  and  returned  to  the  more  comfortable  pre- 
cincts of  the  common  prison.  Injustice  to  old  Clark, 
the  Pluto  of  this  modern  Hades,  he  was  kind  to  the 
prisoners,  in  his  own  peculiar  modes  of  kindness.  He 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  225 

favored  them  in  their  prison  rules  and  discipline,  and 
furnished  every  facility  at  his  command  to  keep  them- 
selves, their  clothing,  and  their  rooms  in  cleanly  and 
decent  order.     Among  the  various  agencies  and  instru- 
mentalities of  regimen   and  police,  one   man  was  ap- 
pointed— or  to  use  the  army  vernacular, "detailed" — for 
the  special  though  onerous  function  of  "  bug  hunting," 
as  it  was  called  in  the  prison.     Each  man  assigned  to 
this  unfashionable  though  necessary  duty  had  to  ascend 
to  his  bunk  and  pursue  his  calling  as  best  he  could. 
But  if  he  failed  or  was  declared  a  delinquent  in  this  puri- 
fying process,  nothing  could  be  more  certain  than  that 
the  "  cobbing  "  apparatus  would  surely  await  his  return. 
Cobbing  always  took  place  after  roll  call.     One  of 
the  most  original  and  interesting  organizations  of  the 
prison  was  known  as  the  "  Owl  Club."     This  club  con- 
sisted of  forty  members.     Each  member  was  selected 
because  of  his  supposed  merits.     There  were  several 
rooms  in  the  prison,  besides  the  "  oath-takers'  "  room, 
and  the  "Owl  Club  "  was  formed  of  the  best  material 
of  the   several  rooms.     The  habits  of  this  club,  as  its 
name  implies,  were  not  unlike  those  of  the  nocturnal 
bird   that  bequeathed  a  name  to  this  lively  organiza- 
tion.    The  several  members  of  the  Owl  Club  would 
sleep  occasionally  in  their  bunks  by  day  and  sit  up  be- 
fore the  fire  all  night.     Their  every  hour  was  occupied 
in  laying  plans  and  devising  ways  and  means  of  escape 
from  the  strong  walls  and  vigilant  guards  of  the  prison. 
The  ever  watchful  members  of  the  "owl"  fraternity 
had  over-heard  certain  conversations  between  the  offi- 
cers of  the  prison  and  messengers  of  the  government. 


226  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

They  had  been  able  to  ascertain  the  probable  removal 
of  the  prisoners  from  the  old  Capitol  to  Fort  Warren, 
in  Boston  Harbor;  their  vigilance  had  discovered  the 
intention  of  the  authorities,  and  this  wide-awake  clnb 
had  laid  its  plans  accordingly.  Many  of  the  owls  were 
well  informed  as  to  the  topography  of  the  country 
through  which  they  would  pass  on  their  way  to  Bos- 
ton. Their  well  digested  scheme  was  to  escape  from 
the  train  when  near  the  Relay  House,  between  Wash- 
ington and  Baltimore.  The  plan  was  for  the  Owl  Club 
to  get  into  the  rear  car  of  the  train,  and  when  the  train 
approached  the  Relay  House,  at  a  given  signal  to  seize 
and  disarm  the  guard,  cut  loose  the  rear  car  from  the 
train  by  removing  the  coupling  pin,  make  prisoners  of 
the  guard,  cross  the  Potomac  on  the  ice,  and  return  to 
Mosby's  command. 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  227 


CHAPTER  XXV 


There  were  spies  and  traitors  in  those  days.  And  it 
came  to  pass  that  some  of  the  "  oath-takers"  had  been 
eaves-dropping  and  discovered  the  plans  of  the  "Owl 
Club."  And  it  came  to  pass  that  when  the  time  was 
ripe  for  the  prisoners  to  be  removed  to  Fort  Warren 
the  guard  came  into  the  prison,  armed  with  a  huge  sup- 
ply of  improved  handcuffs  in  addition  to  their  'other 
accoutrements.  The  irons  were  strong  and  so  was  the 
guard.  The  guard  was  more  numerous  than  the  pris- 
oners, and  carried  a  pair  of  handcuffs  for  each  rebel. 
This  new  feature  of  well-considered  safety  extinguished 
alike  the  hopes  and  plans  of  the  organization.  "The 
best  laid  plans  of  men  and  mice  aft  gang  aglee,"  thus 
was  "  the  winter  of  our  discontent  "  made  anything  but 
glorious  summer  by  this  untoward  event.  It  was  a  sorry 
sight  to  see  seventy-five  daring'and  dauntless  men  heavi- 
ly ironed  and  guarded  by  nearly  one  hundred  guar- 
ds, marched  through  the  streets  of  Washington  en  route 
to  the  city  of  Boston — to  them,  the  most  detested 
spot  on  the  earth,  under  the  earth,  or  above  the  earth. 

The  Guerrilla  prisoners  enjoyed  a  highly  cultivated 
contempt  and  well  considered  detestation  for  every- 
thing in  or  about  the  hated  "Hub."  There  was  at 
that  time  as  much  congeniality  of  feeling  between 


228  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

the  Boston  and  Mosby's  men,  as  was  supposed  to 
exist  between  St.  Paul  and  the  devil,  and  for  that 
reason  alone,  they  believed  the  malignity  of  the  Fed- 
eral authorities  sent  them  there.  Notwithstanding 
their  hopeless  chance  for  escape  when  placed  upon  the 
train,  several  of  the  most  desperate  prisoners  managed 
to  slip  their  handcuffs  and  prepare  for  certain  death  or 
a  speedy  deliverance.  The  few  that  had  removed  their 
irons  gathered  in  one  corner  of  the  car  and  held  them- 
selves in  readiness  to  receive  the  signal  for  a  general 
conflict  with  the  guard.  As  only  a  few  of  them  had 
shaken  off  their  fetters,  the  signal  was  never  given. 
Passing  through  the  city  of  New  York,  from  the  foot 
of  Courtland  street  to  4th  avenue  the  guard  was  fre- 
quently taunted  for  their  seeming  cowardice  by  all 
manner  of  people  from  stage  drivers  to  pedestrians. 
They  were  frequently  insulted  for  using  so  strong  a 
force  to  guard  a  small  number  of  prisoners  heavily 
manacled  with  chains  and  irons.  At  Fourth  avenue 
the  prisoners,  with  their  strong  guard  and  large  throng 
of  street-followers,  encountered  old  Horace  Greeley. 
Many  of  them  recognized  him  by  the  well  known  histor- 
ic white  hat.  The  kind-hearted  apostle  of  negro  liberty 
stood  on  the  curb-stone  and  gazed  at  the  throng  of 
manacled  prisoners.  When  the  old  man  recognized 
Capt.  Babcock  in  the  unhappy  group,  the  Captain  rais- 
ed his  clankliug  chains  and  iron  bracelets,  and  shaking 
them  significantly  in  the  old  man's  face,  said;  "Good 
morning,  Horace,  how  is  this  for  a  prisoner  of  war?" 
The  old  man  moved  not  a  step  and  said  not  a  word, 
but  gazed  earnestly  through  his  good  old  emancipation 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY'S  COMMAND.  229 

spectacles,  that  saw  the  handcuff's  slough  off  from  the 
dusky  limbs  of  the  docile  African  slave. 

The  prisoners  were  embarked  at  the  New  Haven 
Railroad  Depot  and  conveyed  direct  to  the  Hub  of  the 
universe.  Arriving  in  Boston  at  night,  they  were  con- 
fined in  a  warehouse  until  the  next  morning.  They 
had  been  well  prepared  to  expect  a  hospitable  reception 
in  this  great  centre  of  Puritan  civilization  and  they 
were  not  at  all  disappointed  in  their  anticipations.  In 
passing  through  the  streets  they  were  insulted  on  every 
side,  and  assailed  with  extreme  barbarity  and  brutality 
by  the  cowardly  denizens  of  this  ancient  town.  In 
their  transit  through  the  market-place  at  Faneuil  Hall, 
the  butchers  and  their  ragged,  blood-stained  appren. 
tices  headed  a  large  mob  of  the  basest  and  most  brutal 
looking  inhabitants  even  of  Boston,  and  cried  out,  not 
ae  their  progenitors  did  of  old,  "  crucify  him  !  "  but  in 
savage  tones  and  shrill,  croaking  voices  they  shouted, 
"drown  the  d — d  Guerrilla  Rebels!  kill  um'  hang  urn! 
cut  their  d — d  livers  and  lights  out,  d — n  um."  And 
many  other  unrnelodious  expressions  that  displayed 
with  great  clearness  the  average  obliquity  of  Boston 
morals. 

Fort  Warren  is  a  much  worse  place,  and  very  much 
more  uncomfortable  for  Rebel  prisoners,  than  the  Old 
Capitol  prison  even  claimed  to  be.  If  the  malice  and 
ingenuity  of  all  the  speculative  devils,  that  contract 
for  the  combustible  materials  of  the  infernal  regions, 
had  conspired  in  their  fiendish  malignity,  they  could 
not  have  succeeded  better  in  administering  the  penal- 
ties of  the  damned  than  did  the  authorities  of  Fort 


230  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

Warren,  in  torturing  both  mind  and  body  of  the  un- 
happy guerrilla  prisoners.  A  creature  curiously  shaped 
and  cruely  stamped,  with  a  rare  expression  of  unmixed 
brutality,  one  Lieutenant  Woodward,  had  sole  and  un- 
restricted control  of  the  prison,  which  he  succeeded  in 
converting  into  a  modern  hell.  This  military  Pluto 
was  the  officer  in  charge.  Woodward  was  an  ex-shoe- 
maker of  Boston,  and  may  have  owed  his  plutonic  pro- 
motion to  his  extreme  cruelty  to  the  prisoners.  He 
was  a  low  born,  cruel  cowardly  and  despotic  wretch. 
This  unclean  and  heartless  creature,  increased,  by  every 
means  in  his  power,  the  pain  and  privations  of  prison 
life,  under  the  pretence  that  Northern  soldiers  were 
maltreated  in  Southern  prisons;  this  fiendish  military 
cobbler,  with  uncontrolled  power,  starved  many  brave 
and  gallant  men  to  death.  The  prisoners  were  closely 
confined  in  damp  and  dark  casemates,  so  foul  that  every 
material  exposed  to  its  poisonous  atmosphere  would 
mould,  rot,  or  rust,  in  a  few  hours.  When  on  rare  oc- 
casions the  prisoners  were  permitted  to  breathe  a  less 
deadly  air,  they  were  allowed  to  gather  in  a  circum- 
scribed area,  of  thirty  by  one  hundred  feet  of  ground, 
and  stagger  about  for  exercise  as  best  they  could.  A 
dead-line  was  drawn  close  about  this  limited  space,  and 
no  prisoner  dared  to  pass,  by  accident  or  otherwise, 
beyond  the  contines  of  this  fatal  circle.  Any  man  that 
passed  beyond  this  line,  even  if  he  was  delirious  from 
starvation  or  disease  was  shot  down  like  a  dog. 

Bread  was  exceedingly  scarce  in  Fort  Warren  prison. 
Often  by  the  strict  ruling,  of  the  merciless  Lieutenant 
in  what  he  called  "  retaliative  measures  "  there  was  a 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBTS  COMMAND.  231 

total  suspension  of  bread,  and  the  prisoners  were 
not  permitted  to  buy  salt  from  the  sutlers.  The 
food  of  the  suffering  prisoners  consisted  of  a  small 
loaf  of  musty  bread,  for  each  days  allowance,  a  small 
piece  of  salt  beef  was  given  each  man  for  his  dinner, 
with  a  small  tin-cup  of  dirty  water,  in  which  the  poor 
stringy  beef  had  been  boiled.  No  coffee  or  tea  was 
given  under  any  circumstances.  On  "Wednesday's  and 
Sunday's,  they  were  given  a  tin-cup  of  boiled  beans  in 
addition  to  their  sumptuous  and  extravagant  bill  of 
fare.  These  rigid  rules  of  certain  death  by  starvation, 
filth,  foul  air  and  fouler  water,  were  scrupulously  en- 
forced, for.  many  long  and  weary  months,  until  the 
capitulation  of  the  Confederate  Capitol,  and  the  sur- 
render of  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia.  The  starving 
prisoners  ate  all  the  rats  they  could  catch.  When  com- 
pared with  prison  fare,  a  fat  rat  was  considered  a  great 
luxury,  and' when  skillfuly  prepared  a  dainty  dish  in- 
deed. After  the  fall  of  Richmond,  and  the  surrender 
of  Lee,  such  fortunate  prisoners,  as  had  money  or 
friends  that  could  extend  them  credit,  were  permitted 
to  purchase  food  from  the  sutler,  at  the  most  extraor- 
dinary price  that  a  soulless  extortioner  could  possibly 
demand.  Under  the  harsh  and  cruel  treatment,  by 
enforced  starvation  and  irremidiable  filth  several  of 
our  bravest  and  best  men  perished  in  this  dreadful 
place.  Young  Glasscock,  a  near  relative  of  Captain 
Alfred  Glasscock,  one  of  Mosby's  most  knightly  and 
dashing  officers,  was  deliberately  starved  to  death,  by 
the  willful  malice  of  the  prison  authorities. 

Unlike  old  Clark  at  the  Capitol  prison,  in  Washing- 


232  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

ton,  the  ex-shoemaker  in  charge  at  Fort  Warren,  la- 
bored to  augument  the  hardships  of  prison  life,  and  his 
success  was  marked  by  loathsome  methods  of  deliberate 
murder.  After  the  capture  of  Richmond  several  dis- 
tinguished prisoners  were  sent  to  Fort  Warren;  Regan 
of  Texas,  and  late  of  the  Confederate  Cabinet,  with 
Vice-President  Stevens,  and  many  other  high  officers 
of  the  ill-fated  Southern  Confederacy;  were  received 
within  the  foul  embrace,  and  putrid  atmosphere  of 
Fort  Warren.  About  this  time  the  cruelty,  severity 
and  barbarity  visited  upon  the  prisoners  seemed  to  re- 
lax. As  an  interesting  feature  of  the  late  civil  war, 
the  future  historian  should  not  ignore  such  startling 
events  as  transpired  within  the  sickening  precincts  of 
Northern  prisons. 

The  reading  portion  of  the  world  has  been  surfeited 
with  repeated  misrepresentations,  and  slanders,  of  the 
prolific  political  press.  That  huge  engine  of  falsehood 
and  perversion,  groaned  under  its  dreadful  burden  of 
slander.  The  charge  of  Southern  cruelty  to  Northern 
prisoners;  was  invented  for  a  malicious  purpose.  The 
thought  was  hatched,  from  the  egg  of  envy,  hatred  and 
malice.  By  raising  the  cry,  against  the  unfortunate 
South,  it  tended  to  obscure  the  fact  of  dreadful  cruelty 
visited  by  the  authorities  of  Northern  prisons,  upon 
the. unhappy  Southern  victims  under  their  care.  When 
the  emotional  public  insanity  engendered  by  the  war 
subsides,  it  will  be  right  and  proper,  to  turn  the  clear 
and  unbiased  lens  of  history  upon  the  uncouth  features, 
of  Northern  cruelty  to  Southern  prisoners.  In  justice 
to  both  parties,  be  it  said,  that  neither  were  as  merci- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBY^S  COMMAND.  233 

ful  to  prisoners  of  war,  as  the  Christian  pretensions  or 
professions  of  both  parties  would  persuade  the  outside 
barbarians  to  beleive.  Now  that  the  hot  blood,  and 
the  ulcerated  consciences  of  North  and  South,  have 
had  time  to  cool  and  heal,  and  the  soothing  influence 
of  reason  can  be  felt,  what  rational  candid  man,  will 
dare  risk  his  reputation,  by  the  doubt,  that  Northern 
prisoners  were  treated  with  more  humanity  in  Southern 
prisons,  than  Southern  prisoners  were  in  Northern 
dungeons  ?  The  false  plea  of  retaliation  on  the  part  of 
the  rulers  of  Northern  dungeons,  is  the  veriest  con- 
sumation  of  genuine  hypocracy.  During  the  earlier 
periods  of  the  war,  no  complaint  was  heard  of  cruelty 
to  Northern  prisoners.  But  when  the  fair  Southern 
lands  were  encircled  with  fire  and  famine,  when  the 
countless  legions  of  foreigners,  swept  over  the  Southern 
States,  like  the  locust,  the  vermin,  and  the  plagues  of 
Egypt,  when  the  brave  Confederate  soldier,  stood 
naked  and  starved  on  picket,  when  his  costume  con- 
sisted of  a  cartridge  box  and  musket;  when  he  could 
not  even  procure  raw  corn  and  bean  soup,  to  quench 
the  raging  fires  of  maddening  hunger,  when  his  own 
commissary  had  stolen  his  scanty  rations,  and  his  aris- 
tocratic quarter  master  had  purloined  his  raiment  to 
invest  in  whiskey  or  eight  per  cent.  Confederate 
'bonds,  then  and  under  these  flattering  conditions,  the 
devastated  South  was  called  on  to  feast  the  Northern 
prisoners  .on  dainty  viands  that  were  totally  inacces- 
sible even  to  the  President  and  Cabinet  of  the  Confed- 
erate government.  The  Southern  soldier  was  starving 
in  the  rifle  pits.  His  perishing  government  had,  levied 


234  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

with  its  skeleton  fingers,  upon  the  last  bushel  of  grain, 
or  pound  of  meat,  that  the  public  enemy  had  failed  to 
destroy  orappropriate  to  his  own  use.  Writhing  with- 
in the  gaunt  embrace  of  famine,  the  torch  of  the  mil- 
itary incendiary,  casting  its  lucid  glare  of  desolation 
over  our  hopeless  and  starving  people,  we  were  called 
on  to  furnish  rare  luxuries  to  prisoners  of  war,  when 
we  could  obtain  only  crusts  of  bread,  or  husks  of  corn, 
to  feed  the,  brave  defenders  of  the  South.  The  civ- 
ilized and  decent  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  will  not 
forget  the  fact,  that  the  Southern  government  urged 
the  Federal  authorities,  to  exchange  prisoners,  because 
the  government  could  not  provide  them  proper  food 
and  medical  supplies.  This  was  a  very  humiliating 
confession,  and  a  great  military  blunder  on  the  part  of 
the  Confederate  authorities,  as  it  exposed  our  helpless- 
ness and  encouraged  the  perseverance  of  the  enemy, 
yet  with  cruel  contumacy,  and  murderous  barbarity, 
Northern  despots  refused  to  save  the  lives  of  their 
own  soldiers,  from  the  dreadful  death  that  awaited 
them,  through  unavoidable  want  and  privation.  Mer- 
ciless and  emotionless  rulers  of  the  North,  had  waged 
a  relentless  war,  against,  the  lives,  the  property  and 
the  liberties,  of  our  people.  Military  murder  struck 
down  the  tottering  aged  sire,  and  the  smiling  toddling 
babe  with  the  same  demoniac  blow.  Hundreds  of 
thousands,  of  hirelings  from  the  crime  stained  and 
pauper  crowded,  shores  of  the  old  world,  came  torch  in 
hand  to  burn  the  dwellings,  barns  and  provisions  of  the 
people,  and  when  they  had  performed  their  devils  task 
of  death  and  desolation  so  well,  how  can  even  the  un- 


SURGEON  OF  MOSBFS  COMMAND.  235 

thinking  Northern   hypocrites,  with  brain  of  lead  and 
brow  of  brass,  expect  the  absurdity  they  demanded 
that  their  prisoners  should  revel   in  luxury  while   the 
captors  starved  to  death.     The  meanness  is  incalculable 
that  prompts  human  creatures,  clothed  with  arbitrary 
power  to  commit  foul  murder  upon  helpless  prisoners 
of  war,  by  torture  and  starvation.     Falsehood  added 
to  murder  only  aggravates  the  crime.     The  plea  of  re- 
taliation, is  infamously  false.     This  is  the  point  where 
history  should  turn  its  light  upon  demons  in  the  shape 
of  men.     It  is  well  known,  that  the  South,  was  unable 
to  supply   healthy   food  and   raiment,  for  its  own  sol- 
diers in  the  field,  yet  with  unparalelled  generosity  di- 
vided its   last  crust,  its  bean  meal  bread  and  Nassau 
bacon  with  its  unfortunate  prisoners.     While  the  rich 
North  with   its  ports  open    to  all  the  markets  of  the 
world,  starved  its  prisoners  to  death  by  thousands,  with 
the  infamous,  pretence  of  retaliation.     The  world  may 
roll  on  through  all  the  ages  of  time,  and  move  on  through 
the  endless  cycles  of  eternity,  yet  it  will  not  bear  on 
its  broad  surface  a  baser   record  of  cowardice,  cruelty 
and  crime,  than   were  the  foul  murders  by  starvation, 
inflicted    upon    Southern    prisoners    of    war    in   the 
military   dungeons  of  the  North,  "  Killing  by  poison  " 
or  "  killing  by  lying  in    wait  "  fills  the  laws  definition 
of  murder  in  the  first  degree.     This  sort  of  killing  im- 
plies premeditation  and  malice.     How  much  more  cruel 
and  cowardly  is  the  killing  by  starvation  and  enforced 
filth  ?  Legions  of  brave  men — of  gallant  soldiers,  that 
offered   up  their  lives  on  the  battle  field  in  defence  of 
what   they  beleived  to  be  the  right,  have  periehed  by 


236  WAR  REMINISCENCES  BY  THE 

the  slow  torture  of  starvation,  and  the  poisoned  atmos- 
phere of  military  prisons,  their  last  hours  were  tortured 
by  the  pangs  of  hunger  from  within,  and  crawling  ver- 
min from  without,  and  all  this  in  the  name  of  patriot- 
ism and  Christian  charity.  The  Northern  press  with 
its  six  thousand  tongues,  has  labored  in  season  and  out 
of  season,  to 

"  Distort  the  truth,  accumulate  the  lie, 
And  pile  up  the  pyramid  of  calumny." 

But  prejudice  can  disarm  history,  only  for  a  'season, 
"murder  will  out," 

"  Truth  crushed  to  earth  will  rise  again, 
The  eternal  years  of  God  are  hers. 
While,  falsehood  wounded  writhes  in  pain, 
And  dies  amid  her  worshippers." 


ERRATA. 

The  following  errors  were  discovered  in  the  first  ed- 
ition after  the  plates  were  made,  therefore  they  remain 
unchanged  in  the  second  edition. 

In  index,  first  word  in  chapter  XIII,  should  read 
different. 

Second  chapter,  19th  page,  8th  line,  should  read  battle. 

Second  chapter,  26th  page,  13th  line,  should  read 
Sangrado. 

Twelfth  chapter,  117th  page,  12th  line,  omit  of. 

Nineteenth  chapter,  181st  page,  8th  line  from  hot- 
torn,  should  read  men. 


1  RfM 

lGU_L 


from  which  it  was  borrowed  ^ 


•pan  x  j— ,  i,  .  „ 


JAN2819B1 

REC'D 

2  WKS  FPO^  DAle  R£CE!VD 


WEC'D  LD-URl 


JAN  0  5  1994 


A     000  676  262     9 


ife 


